


Saint

by queenxxxsupreme



Category: Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: F/M, Hurt Kelly Severide, Kelly Severide angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:54:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23643436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenxxxsupreme/pseuds/queenxxxsupreme
Summary: I just want to put a warning out here in the beginning of the book. There is domestic abuse in this story. I am very very careful about how I write it because I know that it is a soft subject for some people. Before every chapter I'll give a little warning. There's never going to be anything too descriptive in here but there will be implications of domestic violence.
Relationships: Kelly Severide/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just want to put a warning out here in the beginning of the book. There is domestic abuse in this story. I am very very careful about how I write it because I know that it is a soft subject for some people. Before every chapter I'll give a little warning. There's never going to be anything too descriptive in here but there will be implications of domestic violence.

Kelly Severide stepped into the bar and slipped his jacket off. The bar was warm and welcoming opposed to the bitter wind from outside. Blue eyes briefly surveyed the patrons, spotting a few familiar faces scattered throughout the bar.

"Hey, Severide!" Stella Kidd waved him over to the bar. Brian 'Otis' Zvonecek stood next to her with his arms crossed and a mischievous grin on his face.

"Hey, guys." Severide was a little hesitant to approach the bar.

"We want your valuable opinion, Severide." Otis started. The lieutenant shook his head and stepped away, holding his hands up.

"I don't want to take any part in one of your debates."

"Come on, Kelly!" Kidd pleaded, pushing a glass across the bar toward him. "Just take this and tell me what you think. Otis made it."

Severide picked it up and looked to Otis.

"Just try it. I promise you'll love it." Otis encouraged.

"I have to work in the morning, guys."

"Oh come on! Just take it and tell me how it tastes later." Otis leaned against the bar with his arms. With a heavy sigh, Severide took the glass and hesitantly sniffed it. Whatever had been put into the drink was strong and nearly took his breath away.

"I'll see you guys around." Severide laughed softly, shaking his head as he turned to go to the table in the back corner where Matt Casey and a few others were. Severude glanced down at the liquid in the glass. It was a dark brown color which didn't narrow the choices down very much. He had absolutely no intentions of drinking whatever it was. Someone suddenly collided into his shoulder and he almost dropped the glass.

"I'm so sorry!" She was quick to apologize. "I-I should've been watching where I was going."

"No it was my fault." Severide shook his head with a little smile. She was shorter than him with dirty blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail.

She gave him a half smile before slipping past him and making her way towards an empty booth across the bar. Severide watched her for a few moments, curiosity getting the best of him. She was dressed in a pair of dark skinny jeans that seemed to squeeze all the right places. A cropped gray thermal hung off both her shoulders, revealing a big sunflower tattoo on her left shoulder.

She glanced over her shoulder and their eyes met. Severide gave her his charming smile again, hoping something–anything–would happen. She looked away so he continued on through the bar.

Severide got to the table with his friend and co-workers. But something made him look back at the woman. She was sitting in the booth with her feet propped up on the seat. Her knees were bent slightly and she held what looked like some sort of book against her knees.

"Who is she?" Matt Casey asked. Severide looked over to him and shrugged his broad shoulders.

"I don't know."

"It sure didn't look like you don't know her." Gabby Dawson spoke from her place on the other side of Casey.

"Wish I did." Severide grinned a little, earning a groan from Gabby. "She's cute, isn't she?"

"Yeah, a little." Casey agreed with a nod, then looked to Gabby to make sure he hadn't said anything he shouldn't have. She smiled at him and placed her hand on his arm.

"Don't tell me Otis got you to take his drink, Severide." Jay Halstead spoke from across the table. "He mixed literally everything behind that bar together and he's been trying to get someone to take it all night."

"I don't plan on drinking it." Severide shook his head with a little laugh. He peeked over his shoulder once more. She was taking a sip of her drink. Her eyes flickered up and met his. A shy smile found its way to her lips. She tucked a few pieces of loose hair behind her ear.

"Maybe instead of being weird and staring at her, Kelly, you should offer to buy her a drink." Gabby suggested.

"Good idea, Dawson." Severide stood up. "Wish me luck."

"You don't need luck, Severide." Casey joked.

"Well you aren't wrong."

———

"I'm so sorry! I-I should've been watching where I was going." Sunny Castle put her hand over her heart as she hastily apologized. Even though she knew it was an accident and she definitely didn't mean to bump into him, she had an irrational fear that he'd get angry and yell at her. She hesitated to even look him in the eyes but when she did, she found herself gazing up at an absolutely stunning man. With bright icy blue eyes and a scruffy jaw, she had difficulty looking away.

"No it was my fault." He shook his head, a charming and gentle smile crossed his lips. He was easily a half a foot taller than Sunny with salt and pepper hair.

Sunny moved around him without another word, making her way towards the empty booth she wanted to claim as hers for the night. For one last look at the mystery man, Sunny glanced over her shoulder. He was walking away.

As she settled in at the booth, felt someone watching her. It was him. It had to be him. Why was he watching her? Sunny chose not to look up and instead opened her sketch book to the first empty page. She put her feet up on the bench beside herself and placed her book into her lap. Her phone was put on the table next to her that way she'd be able to see the screen light up if anyone messaged or called.

Sunny picked up her glass of gin and tonic. She glanced up to look around the bar, eyeing who she had to pick from tonight to draw. There was a cute couple at the bar, quietly sharing drinks and talking about their day. A group of men sat at a table, sharing beers and Black Friday horror stories of overcrowded stores and rude people.

Then there was him, the man Sunny had ran into earlier. He was sitting on the opposite end of the establishment from her. He was with a group of four or five people. He'd be easy to draw. His vibrant blue eyes would be hard to forget. He was looking straight at her. This time, Sunny couldn't help but smile at him. He didn't give off a threatening vibe like most other men who watched her would. He looked genuinely curious, but she didn't know why.

She placed her sketch book on the table and brushed her fingers over her hair. What would she draw? Sunny bit her bottom lip and decided to let the pencil do the work for her.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw someone stop at the end of her table. Looking up through her lashes, Sunny found the man she had ran into.

"May I?" He gestured to the booth across from her. Sunny nodded her head and shifted around in her seat. Sunny crossed her knees and began to close her sketch book. "I-I don't mean to interrupt. If you're in the middle of something and want me to leave, I totally can."

"No, no. You're fine." She shook her head. "I was just drawing something."

"Are you any good at it?" He asked with a little grin.

"I've been told I am." She opened her sketch book to a drawing she had done of a few people on the L a couple weeks ago. It was nothing insane, but she had quickly sketched the people on the train with her and then went back to add color to them later.

"Oh wow." The man furrowed his brows together as he looked carefully at the sketch. "You did this? Do you just go somewhere and decide to draw?"

"Sometimes." She nodded her head. His eyes lingered on Sunny for a few moments before he glanced over to the table he had been sitting at before. It was only then that Sunny realized his friends were watching them.

"I'm Kelly." He held his hand out for Sunny. She almost flinched at the simple action. He meant her no harm. He just wants to be friendly. Sometimes Sunny needed to remind herself that.

"Friends call me Sunny." She tentatively reached out to shake his hand. Though his touch was rough and calloused, his hold was gentle and soft.

"What can I call you?" A teasing grin tugged at his pink lips.

"Sunny is just fine." She answered with a little laugh. He was trying to be cute and it was working.

"I like your tattoo." He nodded to the sunflower on her shoulder.

"Thanks." Sunny looked down at the soft yellow and black ink on her skin. Her fingertips brushed over the tattoo. "I've had it for so long, sometimes I forget it's there."

"I've always wanted to get one, just never.... never really had the chance." Kelly thought out loud. "So you're an artist? Is that what you do professionally?"

"I consider myself a freelance artist." She nodded her head.

"That's cool." He smiled across the table to her. "What does that mean?"

"I do whatever I want whenever I want to." Sunny leaned back in the booth and finished off the last bit of her drink. "I work for a few different people.... organizations, companies, that sort of thing."

"Sounds like a fun job."

"It is. I enjoy it." Sunny found herself gazing at the man across from her. There was something about his eyes that mesmerized her. They were so blue and crystal-like. She had never seen anything like it before.

Her phone buzzed on the table, drawing her attention away from Severide. Sunny looked down to see her fiancé had texted her.

**From: Gray**   
**< "When are you going to be home?">**

"I'm sorry, Kelly. Give me a second." Sunny glanced up from her phone to him.

"No worries. Take your time." Severide shook his head with a kind smile. Sunny returned the smile before dropping her eyes back down to her phone. She reread the text probably a dozen times in an attempt to figure out if Gray was mad or not. Her heart started to race. She could hear the anger in his voice already.

**To: Gray**   
**< "Soon. I have a few drawings I want to finish. Is that okay?">**

Sunny placed her phone in her lap and took her bottom lip between her teeth. Severide noticed a change in her behavior. She seemed anxious about something.

"Is everything okay?" Severide asked her. Sunny nodded her head, tearing her eyes away from her phone screen to look at him.

"Everything's okay." She spoke out loud, silently hoping her words were true. She looked over to her empty glass and sighed softly.

"Let me buy you another one." Severide offered.

"That's okay, Kelly. You really don't have to." She shook my head. He stood up from the other side of the booth.

"I know, but I want to." His left eyelid dropped in a wink.

This wasn't a good idea. If Gray found out, he'd be furious. But tonight was one of Sunny's few nights away from him. He didn't have to know that she was talking to a guy. He'd find out. He had this weird and annoying ability to learn about anything he wanted to.

"That's really sweet of you, Kelly, but I need to be going." Sunny tucked her sketch book into her bag and slipped out of the booth. "My fiancé doesn't like when I talk to other guys."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know...." He trailed off, a frown crossing his lips. There wasn't a ring on her finger to indicate she was going to marry someone.

"It's okay." Sunny assured him with a nod and timid smile. "It was nice meeting you, Kelly."

"You too, Sunny." He held her gaze for a few breathtaking heartbeats. She slipped around him and made her way for the door. As she stepped out into the cold night, her phone buzzed in her hand. It was Gray.

**From: Gray**   
**< "Yeah that's fine. Be safe baby.">**

She smiled softly at the text. He wasn't mad. An incoming call from Kate Davis stopped Sunny from texting Gray back. Kate was her best friend.

"Hey, Kate." Sunny tucked her phone between her shoulder and ear and shuffled through her bag for the mace Gray made her carry around.

_"Hi, baby! How've you been? None of us have heard from you for a while."_

"I've been super busy with work. You know how that goes." Sunny sighed softly.

"You should come by my place tonight for some drinks. Andrew is making margaritas and Liz and Abby and Deonte are here."

"I don't know, Kate." Sunny shook her head, dropping her eyes to the sidewalk. She didn't know if that was a good idea. Gray didn't like her hanging out with her friends.

_"Please! Just for a few drinks! We'd love to see you, Sunny."_

_"If you don't get your ass over here, Sunny, I'll come kick your ass!"_ Liz Addley threatened from somewhere in the background.

"Okay." Sunny nodded her head, a happy smile crossed her lops. "I'll be there in a few minutes."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my mind, Gray looks like Finn Wittrock. I chose him specifically because I love Dandy Mott. That's all. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

"Bye, girls!" Sunny laughed as she fumbled around inside her bag for the keys to her apartment. Kate and Andrew Davis' apartment was just a few floors down from Sunny and Gray's but Sunny's friends still insisted on walking her home.

Sunny clumsily dropped the keys and let out a little intoxicated giggle as she knelt down to pick them up. She was grabbing the keys when the door opened. Peering up through a few strands of messy dirty blonde hair, she saw Gray standing in the doorway of their apartment. He only wore a pair of sweatpants that hung loosely on his hips.

"Hi." She smiled up at him.

"What are you doing down there, sweetheart?" He furrowed his brows together and held his hand out for her. Sunny took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. His bare chest was warm and inviting. She leaned against him, closing her eyes as she rested her cheek against his chest.

"Dropped my keys." She reached out to drop the jingly keys on to the stand by the door but missed by a few inches. They fell to the floor. "Damn it."

"I'll get it." Gray laughed softly, guiding her to the sofa. As he let Sunny go, she sunk down on to the soft cushions. He went to pick up the keys and put them on the table. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah." She smiled and nodded her head. Sunny tried to reach her foot to take off her boots but in her drunk stupor, she couldn't do it. "Can you help me, Gray? My shoes...." She trailed off in a string of intoxicated giggles.

"You sound happy." He commented as he knelt down in front of her and gently pulled the boots off one by one. "You didn't say you'd be out for so long. It's past midnight."

"I kept trying to leave but the girls wouldn't let me." She pulled her dirty blonde hair out of its ponytail. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Gray stood to his feet and held his hand out for Sunny again. He pulled her to her feet once more, holding her close to his body. His hands gripped her hips a little tightly. "M'glad you enjoyed yourself. Let's go to bed. I'm tired."

His warm touched left Sunny but she tried to make him stay, refusing to let go of his hand.

"Carry me.... please?" She pouted. His dark blue eyes lingered on her for a few moments. For a split second, Sunny sobered up and almost apologized. But before she could do that, he swept her off her feet and took her back to our bedroom. "Thank you." She buried her nose into the warm crook of his neck.

———

The sound of glass shattering made Sunny jump awake. She pushed the blankets off of herself and hurried out of the bedroom to investigate. In her half asleep daze, she didn't see the shattered glass on the floor at the end of the hallway. She stepped on the glass and collapsed to her knees on the mess of shattered glass. She cried out at the sharp burning pain in her feet and knees. She looked down at the blood on the floor. Her knees and feet were dripping crimson. Her toes were beginning to go numb.

Confused, Sunny looked around to see what had broken. It had been a picture on the wall of her and Gray on their two year anniversary. The image was laying a few feet away from her. From where she was at the end of the hallway, she could see Gray standing in the kitchen pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Gray?" Sunny's voice was a little raspy from having just woken up. "Gray, what happened?"

"Didn't have the lights on. Couldn't see where I was going." His voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.

She looked down to her knees and tried to pull a bigger piece of glass out. She winced at the stinging sensation. She tugged the oversized shirt of his that she wore down to cover her panties.

"Can you–Gray, Can you help me?"

"I can't. I have to go to work." He shook his head.

"But Gray, please—,"

"Who the hell is the one paying the bills around here, Sunny?" He cut her off, raising his voice and roughly placing his coffee cup down on the counter. She flinched at the loud noise the ceramic made against the granite counter top, her eyes closing tightly. "It sure as hell isn't you!"

"I'm-I'm sorry, Gray. I just-I can't walk." She spoke quietly. When she opened her eyes, she looked to the floor. She couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"That sounds like your problem." He grabbed his keys from the stand by the door. "I'm working late tonight." The front door slammed shut behind him.

Sunny looked around the room, trying to think of what to do. Tears stung her eyes and blurred her vision. A few moments passed before someone knocked on the front door. She cursed under her breath and rubbed her forehead. It was Deonte Jabari. He was coming by this morning so they could go out for breakfast before going to work.

"Sunny? Are you up, baby girl?"

"The door's unlocked, Deonte." Sunny pulled a rather large piece of glass out of her knee and gritted her teeth together. "I-I can't get up."

In a matter of moments, Deonte was kneeling down in front of her. His hands cupping her face to make her look at him. His brown eyes were wide and full of worry.

"What the hell did you do, Sunny?" He looked her over for any other injuries before he went to retrieve a towel and the first aid kit from the bathroom.

"I forgot I broke a picture last night." She answered his question quietly. "Woke up this morning and stepped right on it."

"Why didn't you pick up the glass last night?" He put his hand on the back of her knee to examine the cuts on the front of her knee.

"It was late when I got back, and I was tired." Sunny shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what to do, Deonte. I don't want to go to the hospital."

He let out a sigh and ran a hand over his face.

"Okay. We don't have to go. I think-I think I can do this."

"Thank you, D." She whispered softly. He watched his friend for a few moments to see if she'd change her mind. He nodded his head and ran a hand over his mouth. He took out a pair of tweezers and began to pull shards of glass out of her knee.

"Where's Gray?"

"Work. He left early this morning. This happened after he left."

Deonte nodded his head stiffly like he didn't believe Sunny's lie. He moved away from her and went down the hall to the bathroom. The sink turned on for a few moments then turned off. He returned with a washcloth.

"What's wrong with you, D?" She crinkled her eyebrows together. It was so easy to tell when he was upset. He'd get quiet and avoid eye contact.

"Just don't like your asshole of a fiance." He sighed out. He brought the warm, damp washcloth up to gingerly wipe the blood from her knee.

"He didn't do this, Deonte."

"That's what you keep saying." Intense brown eyes flickered up to meet Sunny's brown ones. "He didn't do this. He didn't give you a black eye last week. He didn't break your arm five months ago—,"

"Deonte, stop." She cut him off, locking her jaw tightly. He held her gaze for a few moments before shaking his head and looking down at her knee. "He's a good man, D."

"We need to go over your definition of good, baby."

Once all of the glass was pulled out of Sunny's knees and her feet, Deonte helped her to the sofa. From there, she was able to wrap the wounds.

"We're still going out for breakfast, right?" She looked up at her best friend. He nodded his head, silently moving to the kitchen to get the broom from the closet. "I'm okay, Deonte."

"What if we hadn't planned breakfast, Sunny? What would you have done then?"

"I don't know, but I would've figured it out." She assured him. Once her feet and knees were wrapped, she carefully stood up. "I'm going to get a shower, then we can go."

Deonte nodded his head but said nothing. He was still hung up on Gray. Sunny bit her lip, wanting to say something to make him feel better, but she didn't know what to say.

———

"Severide, it's the middle of April." Mouch threw his hands in the air as he walked into the kitchen. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"You think the three feet of snow outside is going to stop Kelly Severide from going shirtless?" Gabby rolled her eyes. She sat at a table with Casey and Brett. Further down the table from them were Herrmann, Otis, Cruz, and Kidd.

"My shirt got wet." Severide tried to defend myself even though he knew they were teasing him.

"I wonder why." Kidd snickered. She had hit him with a water balloon when she arrived at the station.

"You're so funny, Kidd." He rolled his eyes at her.

"Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Chief?" Severide turned his head in the direction of Chief Boden.

"Put a shirt on, son. We've got a guest coming to 51 today."

"Yes, Chief." Severide nodded his head, slipping from the countertop he had been sitting on. The garage door opened but he didn't make an effort to see who it was.

"You must be from the Chicago Cosmo." Boden spoke.

"I am. Sunny Castle."

The voice caught Severide's attention. He stopped in the doorway of the kitchen and looked across the room to see her. She was smiling up at Boden, nodding her head at something. She was dressed in a white turtleneck tucked into a pair of black skinny jeans and a pair of black heeled boots. There was a necklace around her neck and the little daisy pendant rested on her chest. Her hair was put back into a neat bun on the top of her head.

"Ladies and gentlemen." Boden turned around to face the small group in the room. "Ms. Castle is going to be joining us for the next week for an article about Chicago's first responders."

"Does that mean we get to take pictures with her, Chief?" Otis put his hand in the air.

"No, Otis. It means she gets to take pictures _of_ you." Boden looked down to Sunny. "I'll let you take over."

"Thanks, Chief." She smiled at him. Her smile was soft and sweet. Boden moved to take a seat at the end of the table with Mouch, Otis, Cruz, and Herrmann. "My name is Sunny. I work for...." Her eyes met Severide's and she trailed off for a moment, lost in the eyes of the stranger from the night before. "I work for the Chicago Cosmo. I'm, er, I'm going to be popping in and out for the next two weeks or so doing articles on the firefighters and paramedics inside Firehouse 51."

"Why us?" Herrmann asked.

"To be completely honest with you, I don't know." Sunny nervously laughed. "I think there were numbers pulled out of a hat or something like that."

"Is she following us on calls?" Casey looked to Boden.

"Not yet. Some things still need to be sorted out before she does."

The familiar loud ringing noise of a call made Severide groan.

_"Squad 3, Ambulance 51, Truck 81, Engine 51. Multiple car crash at the 2300 block of Colonial Avenue."_

"Unfortunately this is going to have to wait, Ms. Castle." Boden stood up and moved to leave. Severide started for the locker room to retrieve a shirt. As he was pulling it on, he made my way to the garage. Sunny was in the garage, taking pictures of everyone getting into their fire suits. She put the camera down and her eyes found Severide's.

"Severide! Let's go!" Casey yelled from across the garage.

"I'm coming!"  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Sunny was sitting at a table in the kitchen within Firehouse 51, eyeing the drawing in her sketch book. Everyone had been gone for a few hours so she busied herself with other things.

Just after the first responders left, Sunny had taken some aesthetically pleasing pictures of the empty firehouse. One of her favorite pictures was taken within the locker room. A few lockers had been left open. A pair of work boots sat at the bottom of one of the open lockers. A black hoodie was laying across the bench in the middle of the aisle. There was a shirt thrown over the top of a locker door. A set of keys were even dropped on the floor. The setting was simple and anything but neat, but it spoke to the harsh reality of being a firefighter. When they got the call, they didn't really have time to make things nice and neat before they left. They had lives on the line that required their immediate attention.

The door that led out to where the trucks were kept opened. Sunny straightened her posture in her seat and closed her sketch book.

"You're still here." Severide commented. She looked at him for a few moments, stupidly lost in his eyes once again. He was in a pair of firefighter pants with red suspenders hanging down. A dark blue shirt hugged his torso and a radio rested on his right shoulder.

"Can't get rid of me that easily." She nodded her head with a little smile.

"Oh I wouldn't want to." He teased.

Sunny picked up her camera from the table and turned it on.

"Would you mind if I took a picture of you?" She lifted the camera up and focused it on him. Before he could answer me, someone stole his attention.

"Hey, Severide?"

Sunny snapped the picture just as he looked away.

"I saw that." He pointed at her, a teasing grin on his lips. Sunny smiled innocently and took another picture of the group coming in through the doors just behind Severide.

"Are you messing with the nice photographer, Severide?" A shorter man with gray hair joked. He had a thick Midwestern accent. "What was your name again?"

"Sunny." She answered him.

"Herrmann." He held his hand out for her. "This is Matt Casey, Joe Cruz, Stella Kidd, Gabby Dawson, Sylvie Brett, and you already met Severide."

"I like your necklace." Kidd sat down in the seat next to Sunny and leaned in to look at the daisy necklace she wore.

"Oh, thanks." Sunny looked down at the pendant and picked it up. "My grandmother gave it to me when I moved to the states."

"Where are you from?" Cruz asked. He took a seat across from Sunny. The rest of the firefighters and paramedics seemed to go to the kitchen in search of food while they listened to the conversation with the photographer.

"Well I grew up just outside of Paris but my dad is from New York so my parents decided we should come here to America when I started high school."

"That's so cool!" Brett exclaimed. "But where's your accent?"

———

Sunny spent a while just chatting with everyone at Firehouse 51 but then it was time to get back to business. Gray was going to pick her up so they could go out for lunch so she made sure she had a decent amount of pictures before leaving around noon.

She made her way out of the firehouse, checking the few messages on her phone. Most of them were from Kate but there were some from her older sister, Anastasia, and one from Gray. He was on his way to the firehouse to pick her up.

"Hey, Sunny!"

She turned to see Severide coming out of the firehouse. He had been mostly quiet all while she was talking to his co-workers. He sat in a chair, just observing everyone.

"Hi, Kelly." Sunny turned to face him.

"Are you going to be by again tomorrow?"

"Maybe." She shrugged her shoulders softly, holding the strap of her bag. "Why?"

"Just curious." He smiled a little. He looked behind me at something. Glancing over her shoulder, Sunny saw Gray in his black BMW. That car was his pride and joy. She smiled at her fiancé and waved. He nodded his head once. "Is that your fiancé?"

"Yeah." Sunny nodded her head. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lieutenant."

"Have a good afternoon, Ms. Castle."

She turned on her heels and went to Gray's car. He got out of his car and came around to the passenger side.

"Hello, beautiful." He took his sunglasses off and pulled Sunny in for a kiss. His hand on her hip tightened significantly and his lips were a little rough.

"Where are we going for lunch?" She looked up at him and brushed a few pieces of his dark hair out of his eyes.

"Mom wants to see you. She wants to talk about the wedding." He pulled the passenger side door open and looked back to Severide. Sunny got into the car but that didn't stop her from watching Gray. He appeared tense and hostile, glaring sharply at the poor firefighter.

"We don't want to be late, Gray." She softly reminded him. He closed the door rather harshly and stormed around to the driver's side. She fought the urge to look at Severide and wave. It would only fuel Gray's anger. Sunny folded her hands carefully into her lap. Gray placed his hand on her knee and began to drive. "How was your morning?"

"Who was he?"

"Who was who?" Sunny tentatively asked. He squeezed her knee.

"Don't play stupid, Sunny. Who is that guy back there?"

"I don't know. He's just a firefighter at the house, Gray." She wanted to pull her leg away from him but she knew that would make him angry.

"What's his name?"

"Lieutenant Severide."

Gray pulled his hand away and rubbed his face.

"Do you like him?"

"No, Gray." Sunny shook her head.

"Good." Gray glanced over to her. She gave him a timid smile and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"I think you look handsome today, Gray."

The corners of his lips turned up just a little. Her phone buzzed in her bag. She pulled it out to see Liz was calling her.

"It's Liz." Sunny looked over to Gray.

"Answer it. Put her on speaker."

"Thank you, Gray." She reached over to put ber hand on his arm while she answered the call. He took her hand and held it in his own. "Hey, Liz. What's up?"

"Sunny, Kate was in-She was in a car accident. She wanted me to call you and tell you that she and Andrew are fine but I don't like hospitals and I-I really could use you here right now, baby. I'm shaking so-so damn bad."

"Wait, wait, Liz. Car accident?" Sunny furrowed her eyebrows together.

"A truck ran a red light and T-boned them. Andrew's in surgery right now but I'm looking at Kate right now and she's trying to keep me calm but it is not working."

Her eyes flickered over to Gray.

"I'm not standing my mother up, Sunny." He firmly shook his head head. Sunny knew fighting him about it wouldn't be a good idea. She put her phone against her leg so Liz couldn't hear their conversation.

"Can I go see them after lunch?" As badly as she wanted to see her friends now, Sunny would rather wait so Gray wouldn't get angry. Kate and Andrew were fine. They'd be okay.

"If you want." He nodded his head softly. "I can drop you off at the hospital."

"Thank you, Gray." She squeezed his hand, thankful that he was in a good mood today. "Hey, Liz?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm-I'm a little caught up right now and I really can't leave but I'll come by here in a few hours, okay? Just.... Just keep me posted on how they're doing."

"Okay. Okay, Sunny. We'll see you then."

Sunny tucked her phone back into her bag and looked out the window.

"Thank you." Gray brought her hand up to kiss the back of it. She smiled softly, happy that she had avoided a fight.

———

After checking in with the nurse at the front desk of the hospital, Sunny made her way back towards Kate's room. Just outside the door to her room were Liz and Deonte.

"Hey, guys." Sunny hugged both of them and then looked into the room. Kate was sitting on the edge of Andrew's bed, holding his hand. He appeared to be sleeping. "Is he—,"

"He's fine." Deonte cut Sunny off. "Just sleeping."

"Is Gray not with you?" Liz asked with a little bit of an attitude. Sunny furrowed her eyebrows at the blonde.

"No, he's not. He had to go back to work. Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

Sunny looked back into the room. Kate saw her and stood to her feet. She gave Andrew a kiss on his forehead before joining her friends out in the hallway. There was a bandage on her forehead and a few scratches on her cheeks.

"Hey, sweetheart." She pulled Sunny in for a warm hug. "It's so good to see you."

"I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner, Kate." She frowned, brushing a few pieces of Kate's messy dark hair out of her face.

"That's okay." She assured Sunny with a smile. "You're here now."

Sunny nodded her head and looked to Deonte, who had silently been staring at her. She was about to say something when someone moving behind him caught her attention. It was Severide, Mouch, and Otis.

"Hey! Look who it is!" Otis pointed at Sunny with a wide smile.

"Sidney, right?" Mouch said. The trio of firefighteres approached Sunny, who was trying her best to hide the flush of red on her cheeks.

"Sunny." She corrected him with a little smile. Her brown eyes flickered back to Severide. "Lieutenant."

A few moments of silence passed as they looked at each other, almost studying the other's eyes. Mouch and Otis shared a look before Otis rubbed the back of his head and started to take a few steps away from Severide.

"We'll give you two a second." Mouch patted Kelly's arm. He watched his friends walk away before stuffing his hands into the pockets of his firefighter pants.

"What's with you following me around?" Severide teased. Sunny laughed softly and shook her head. Her laugh was airy and bubbly, and made Severide smile.

"I don't think I'm the one following you around."

"Oh, so you're calling me the stalker?"

"Definitely." Sunny bit her bottom lip. Severide's eyes seemed to twinkle as he gazed down at her. Looking away should've been easy and she should've done it immediately, but she didn't want to. His eyes were too stunning.

"Wow. That is some serious eye contact." Liz commented, pulling Sunny out of her thoughts. Sunny cleared her throat and looked to her friends. "We should definitely give them a moment."

"No, Liz—,"

"It's really not a big deal, Sunny." Kate smiled softly at Sunny, her hand gently holding her arm before she tugged Deonte and Liz towards Andrew's room.

"What happened to him?" Severide asked, nodding in the direction of Andrew.

"Car accident, but he's okay." Sunny answered with a little sigh of relief.

"That's good."

"Hey! Hey!" Liz stuck her head out of the door to the room. "She loves coffee. You should take her out sometime."

"Liz!" Sunny hissed her name, her eyes widening as she glared at her friend.

"I'll keep that in mind, ma'am." Severide chuckled softly. "They don't know you have a fiancé?"

"More like they don't like him." Sunny crossed her arms over her chest.

"I can imagine why. Gray Talbot isn't liked by many people."

Her brown eyes flickered over to Severide. Her heart dropped as he gazed down at her. Sunny knew the look in his eyes. It was pity. He felt sorry for her being in a relationship with Gray.

"You know him?"

"His dad is kind of the king of Chicago." Severide looked down the hallway past Sunny. "The whole family is stuck up."

"You aren't wrong." She nodded her head.

"Dated Melanie once. Huge mistake. That chick is insane."

A laugh escaped Sunny's lips. Her hand came up to cover her mouth. Melanie was Gray's older sister.

"You wouldn't.... You wouldn't want to get coffee sometime, would you?" Severide rubbed the back of his head and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I mean, just as friends. Nothing else."

"That probably isn't a good idea, Kelly." Sunny whispered softly. Her eyes left his to look to the tiled floor. "You're a sweet guy but I'm not worth half the trouble that follows me."

He was silent but she could feel his eyes drilling holes into her head. He wanted to say something about Gray but he decided against it. It wasn't in his place to tell this woman he met not even two full days ago that her fiancé was an asshole.

"Severide! We've gotta go!" Mouch called from down the hallway.

"We can have coffee at the firehouse sometime." Severide suggested as he took a few steps past Sunny to go towards his co-workers. "That way neither of us have to pay for it." The teasing grin on his lips made something in Sunny's chest flutter. A smile tugged at her lips and she nodded her head.

"I'd like that."

He winked at her once before he turned and jogged down the hall.

"Oh my god, Sunny!" Liz came out of the room first followed by Deonte and then Kate. "Who was that guy?"

"He's a firefighter at the firehouse I'm working at." Sunny's eyes stayed on him until he disappeared around a corner.

"What's his name?" Deonte asked.

"Kelly Severide." She bit her bottom lip. She turned her attention back to her friends only to find them all staring at her. "What?"

"That man is a god, Sunny." Liz started to fan herself. Sunny rolled her eyes at Liz. "Did you see those eyes?"

"He seems really interested in you, sweetheart." Kate pointed out.

"I have a fiancé that I am marrying in a few months, Kate." Sunny reminded her.

"A piece of shit fiancé." Deonte muttered under his breath.

"I'm not going to stand here and let you guys treat Gray like shit." Sunny shook her head and turned to leave but Kate grabbed her arm.

"Sunny, baby, we only want what's best for you." She rubbed Sunny's arm. "We're going to say some things sometimes that you don't like but that's only because we know Gray isn't good for you. Just last week, he gave you a black eye and nearly broke your nose." She lowered her voice to ensure that they were the only ones who would hear what she was saying. "And over what? Burnt dinner?"

"It's because I need to learn to be a better wife." Sunny whispered, her voice empty of any emotion. The cooking lessons he had been paying for her to take weren't helping her kitchen skills. She hastily brushed away the traitorous tears that escaped her eyes. "I'm going home."

"Okay, sweetheart." Kate let Sunny go and watched as her walk away. "Text me when you get home, okay?"

"I will." She called over her shoulder.

Kate elbowed Deonte harshly in the side and glared at him.

"What the hell was that?"

"I'm not going to pretend I like him, Kate! I'm not going to support her and her stupid ass decisions either!"

"It's not in your place to decide whether her decisions are stupid or not." Kate firmly shook her head as she pulled the door to her husband's room open.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is yelling at the end of this chapter and name calling and I guess implications of domestic violence. Gray gets pissed and throws a temper tantrum but I don't write about him taking his anger out on Sunny. I'm sorry if that's a spoiler but I don't know a better way to do warnings.

A knock on the door to Sunny's apartment made her jump. She tore her eyes away from her sketch book and looked to the clock hanging in the kitchen. It was only four in the evening. She stood to her feet and padded over to the door. It was Kate.

"Hey." Sunny smiled softly and opened the door to invite her in.

"Hi. I just wanted to come by and chat with you for a little bit." Kate put her purse down on the table by the door. "You know Liz meant nothing when she suggested that that guy earlier took you out for coffee. She just gets really flirtatiously aggressive around cute guys."

Sunny bit her lip for a moment, her eyes flickering over to the coffee table. Piano music was playing softly in the background while she had been going over what she had drawn in the last day.

"I need to show you something, Kate, but I don't want anyone else to know."

"You know I won't tell anyone, sweetheart." Kate put her hand on Sunny's arm. Sunny took her hand and led her over to where she had been sitting just before Kate knocked. Sunny got down on her knees by the coffee table and opened her sketch book to the drawing she had finished late last night of Kelly Severide. It was a simple drawing of from his shoulders up but there was so much detail to the sketch. There was a faint smile across his lips, one Sunny had worked hard on. "Oh my gosh, Sunny." Kate got down on her knees beside Sunny, her hand finding Sunny's shoulder. "Is this him?"

"The firefighter." Sunny nodded her head, still nervously chewing on her bottom lip. "I can't get him out of my head. Usually things like that go away after I draw them out but he.... he's stuck." She turned the page to another sketch she had done of just his eyes. This one had been colored in to reveal just how mesmerizing his eyes were. The next page was filled with little doodles of him.

"These are really good, Sunny." Kate smiled softly at Sunny but the smile didn't last long. Worry crossed her features. "I hope you keep these away from Gray."

"He doesn't have access to this." She shook my head, closing her sketch book. "I think you're one of the only people I've ever let look into this."

"Do you like him? The firefighter?"

"I don't know, Kate." Sunny brushed her hair back out of her eyes. "I-I haven't even had a real chance to talk to him, but I can't get those stupid eyes out of my head."

"Maybe you should rethink marrying Gray, Sunny." Kate murmured softly. "If you're thinking about another man like this—,"

"But I-I love Gray, Kate."

"I know you do, sweetheart. But sometimes the one we love isn't our soulmate. Maybe Blue Eyes is your soulmate."

Sunny dropped her eyes to the front of her sketch book. The alarm clock on her phone went off.

"I have to start dinner for Gray." Sunny stood to her feet and left the coffee table.

"I should, erm, I should be getting back to Andrew." Kate moved towards the door. "You know how he gets when he doesn't feel good. He turns into the biggest toddler ever."

"Tell him I hope he feels better."

"I will!"

Sunny listened as the door closed. Once she was sure Kate was gone, she leaned against the counter and put her hands over her eyes.

There was no way Severide was her soulmate. She had only met him two days ago for crying out loud! She shook her head and rubbed her face. Kate was just trying to get her to back out of marrying Gray. That's all it was.

———

"Brett. Do you have a three?" Gabby looked across the table to her partner. The blonde groaned and handed her card over.

"Wow, Brett. You suck at this game." Otis commented as he sat down next to her.

"Thanks, Otis."

"Hey, Severide!" Casey called Severide's name from one of the opened doors to the garage. Severide looked in his direction to see a familiar woman standing with him. Severide remembered seeing her at the hospital earlier with Sunny.

"Otis, play for me." Severide passed his cards to Otis as he stood to his feet. "Thanks, Casey."

Casey nodded his head and left Severide with the woman.

"You're Sunny's friend, right?"

"I'm Kate." She held her hand out.

"Kelly." He shook her hand. "What can I do for you?"

"I just want to talk to you about Sunny."

"We can go to my office." Severide nodded his head.

———

"Have a seat, Kate." Severide gestured to one of the chairs in his office. He settled with leaning against the edge of his desk.

"How long have you known her?"

"Sunny? Maybe all of two days." He shrugged his shoulders a little. "Why?"

Kate hesitated to answer, her eyes flickering around Severide's office like she was inspecting it.

"I really shouldn't be here but I.... I'm worried about her."

"Is it her fiancé?" Severide asked. He had heard plenty about Gray Talbot. He had a bad temper, especially when it came to whoever he was dating at the time. "Last I heard about him, he beat his girlfriend into a coma. News reports said they were in a car accident but I heard from a few paramedics at another firehouse in the city. They had been the ones to respond to the call."

"That was before she started dating him." Kate shook her head. Her voice was quiet and soft. Her gaze dropped down to her hands. "But he's got her wrapped around his finger and I don't know how to stop it. Maybe you know people. I've heard firefighters and cops are all one family, right?"

"It's.... It's really none of my business, Kate." Severide crossed his arms as he looked at her. Part of him knew that his next words would get him into trouble, if not now then in the long run. "Does he hit her?"

Her eyes began to blur with tears as she nodded her head.

"I'm scared for her, Kelly. I really am. I just don't want her to marry him and then they leave the city like he's been wanting to. If-If he gets her to leave Chicago, she'll have no one. Her family lives in New York but he's been keeping her from them. And-And she's pushing herself away from me and the other few friends she has here in the city. She doesn't talk to me for days, sometimes weeks at a time. I know Gray makes her stay away." Kate paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and shaking her head. "I don't know why I'm here or why I'm telling you all of this."

"Because you're worried about your friend." Severide spoke quietly. "I don't know what you want me to do about it though, Kate. I can talk to a friend I have in the C.P.D. but I don't know that much will come out of it. If she isn't willing to press charges against him, then there's nothing that can be done for her."

"She likes you." A little smile found its way to Kate's face. Severide shifted around a little. A faint grin crossed his lips. _She liked him._

"Did she tell you that?"

"No, but with Sunny.... She never really has to say what she's feeling. She draws every emotion she feels. And she's been drawing a lot of you."

Maybe that's why she always closed her little book thing when he was around.

"I've tried and tried again to get her to leave Gray, Kelly. Maybe you'd have better luck." Kate stood to her feet and straightened her jacket. "I'm not asking you to tell her you feel something for her too. She doesn't need another man to worry about. All I'm asking is for you to be a friend."

"I can do that." Severide nodded his head. Friends were the only thing he was mildly good at.

"Thank you, Kelly." She gave him a smile and started for the door. "Oh, and don't tell her I was here."

"No problem." Severide watched her leave and disappear down the hallway. His eyes fell to the floor again and a soft sigh escaped his lips.

———

The front door slammed shut, rattling the glassware in the kitchen. Sunny took a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever foul mood Gray was in.

"Hi, honey!" She chirped, pouring two glasses of wine. "Dinner is almost—,"

"I'm not hungry." He cut Sonny off, throwing his blazer and coat down on the back of the sofa.

"How was work?" She did her best to keep her voice even as she glanced up at him.

"How the hell do you think work was, Sunny?" His words were laced with anger.

"Is there anything I can do to make it better?"

"Stop talking. Your annoying voice is giving me a headache." He sat down heavily on the sofa and pulled his tie loose. Sunny nodded her head and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Her hands rested flat on the marble countertop. She didn't know what to do to make herself useful to him. She decided to pull a beer out of the fridge to give to him. She took the top off and placed it on the counter. "I can't wait until we get out of here." He muttered under his breath. He took the beer from me and took a swig. "Sit down, will you? I can't stand when you just stand there and stare at me like you're stupid."

Sunny sat down on the edge of the sofa a few feet away from him.

"I was thinking London." His hand on her back made her inhale sharply. She hadn't expected his touch. "What do you think?"

"London is gorgeous." She looked over to him with an encouraging nod.

"Mom thinks we should move to California or something ridiculous like that." Gray shook his head. "What about you?"

"I don't care where I go, as long as you're there."

A soft smile crossed his lips. His hand came up to hold her face. His thumb brushed across the corner of her lips. The smile slowly disappeared and something darker took its place.

"Have you been thinking about that guy from the firehouse?"

"No, Gray." Sunny shook her head, furrowing her brows at his words. "Why? What-What makes you think that?"

"The way he was looking at you earlier today pissed me off." Gray leaned forward to roughly kiss her lips. She put her hand on his knee and played along. "You know if I ever catch you even thinking about anyone—,"

"You don't have to worry about that, Gray." She hastily spoke, cutting him off before he could finish. "He's not my type. None of them at the firehouse are."

"What is your type?" Gray took ahold of her hips and pulled her into his lap so she faced him. Her knees were on either side of his legs.

"Tall men with dark hair and stunning dark blue eyes." She gazed down at him, her fingers coming up to brush his hair out of his eyes. This was the Gray she fell in love with, the one she cared about so deeply. He was soft and gentle and someone she genuinely enjoyed to be around. She leaned down to kiss his lips tentatively. His hands rested along the sides of her thighs.

"What did you make?"

She looked behind him to the kitchen. Ivy, the housekeeper Gray's mother had hired for them, had been the one to make dinner.

"Ivy came over to make that lasagna I know you love."

"You had to have Ivy come and make lasagna for you?" His fingertips curled into the sides of Sunny's thighs.

"I-I've been trying to learn, Gray—,"

"What good are those cooking classes I am paying for you to take if you don't learn anything from them?" He practically threw her off of him. Luckily she landed on the couch. He stood to his feet and grabbed his beer before making his way to the kitchen. "Do you know how many of the guys at work have wives who cook for them? Who-who can actually be in the kitchen without making the goddamned fire alarm go off!"

Gray turned and threw his beer bottle into the fridge door. It shattered upon impact. Sunny jumped and put her hand over her mouth to refrain from crying out.

"They have wives that care about their appearance! They go to the gym before their husbands even ask! They take care of their bodies! But you don't even care to dress up for lunch with my mother!" He pushed the two wine glasses off of the counter. The dark wine hit the floor and the glass broke into a billion pieces. "You look like a fucking cow, Sunny! You're letting yourself go! You aren't going to be able to fit into your wedding dress on our wedding day!"

"I'm-I'm trying to lose some weight, Gray—,"

"Yeah? Well you sure had me fooled." He shook his head, leaning against the counter with both of his hands. "My mother thinks you're a joke. You don't show up to lunch at the Skyline Lounge in skinny jeans, Sunny!"

"I didn't know we were going to be having lunch with her, Gray!" Sunny slapped her hands over her mouth. The words had escaped her lips before she could stop them but there was no taking them back now.

"You ungrateful bitch." He shook his head as he left the kitchen and stormed towards her.


	5. Chapter 5

"Thank you! My fiancé bought it for me."

Her voice pulled Severide out of his thoughts. He had been sitting in his office focusing on paperwork when he heard her. He stood up from his desk and moved to stand in the doorway of his office. He leaned against the door frame and looked down the hallway. Brett was talking to Sunny, whose back was to Severide. Brett noticed Severide standing and she smiled softly then nodded for Sunny to look behind her. As Sunny turned around, Brett walked away.

"Good morning, Lieutenant." Sunny smiled as she took a few steps towards him.

"Ms. Castle." Severide nodded his head once to her. "How about that coffee?"

"I could definitely go for some coffee right now."

"Good. Come on."

———

Severide took a seat next to Sunny at a table in the kitchen. She quietly thanked him as he handed her a mug. He watched her for a few moments, inspecting the dark circle under her eye. It looked like she had tried to cover a bruise with makeup.

"So how's the article coming along?" Severide took a sip of his coffee.

"Well I just started yesterday so it's still in its baby phase." She put her coffee cup down and pulled out her camera. She moved to sit closer to Severide. Her dirty blonde hair smelled like fruit. Severide's eyes flickered to the screen of her camera. "I got a few good ones."

She started to click through the pictures she took the day before. Severide smiled at the image of Gabby, Kidd, and Brett standing with their arms wrapped around each other. Another picture was of Mouch and Otis sleeping on either end of the sofa in the kitchen. Next there was a picture of Cruz throwing a paper airplane at Herrmann, who had his back to Cruz. Then Sunny stopped on a picture of Severide himself. It was the first picture she had gotten of him. It was when someone called his name. He faced Sunny but his head turned a little to the left. His lips were slightly parted and a light smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"This one.... This is my favorite." Sunny nervously bit her bottom lip as she looked at Severide through her lashes. His eyes met hers and his smile widened a little. The bruise under her eye caught his attention. His lips pressed together in a firm line before he ran a hand over his hair.

"I notice you don't wear an engagement ring." He lifted his coffee up once more. Sunny looked down to her hand and frowned softly.

"I.... I wasn't given one." She admitted softly.

"You're kidding." Severide furrowed his brows together as he looked at her. "He's one of the richest guys in Chicago and he couldn't even get you a ring when he asked you to marry him?"

Sunny said nothing for a while. She knew she didn't need to tell him that Gray hadn't asked her to marry him. It was more of a statement when it happened. Sunny folded her hands together and put them in her lap.

"I don't need a ring. I'd probably lose it anyway."

"Sunny." Severide murmured her name gently. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His eyes flickered down to the necklace she wore. The neckline of her yellow sweater hung a little low on her chest, revealing a cut across her collarbone. Severide's hands curled tightly around his coffee cup. He hadn't seen that cut the other night when he met her. She had been wearing an off the shoulder top. This was a fresh wound. "Sunny, what happened?" He nodded to her collarbone.

Sunny hastily pulled her shirt up and tried to fix it so it didn't hang down to show the injury.

"I.... I, um, I can't remember." She answered him quickly without looking at him.

"Did he do that to you?" Severide's voice was low and quiet. Sunny's eyes widened as she lifted her head and met his gaze.

"How dare you?" She whispered, angrily stuffing her camera into her bag. She took a few steps away from the table. "You can't just go around accusing people of that sort of thing!"

"I know the guy, Sunny." Severide leaned back in his chair. He knew telling her how bad of a man Gray Talbot was wouldn't work. It never did. Victims of domestic abuse didn't see what everyone else saw. Severide looked around the room just to ensure that they were alone. He let out a heavy breath. His foot began to bounce up and down. "Sunny, I didn't mean to cross a line. I-I'm just worried about you."

"You don't know me, Kelly." She shook her head softly.

"But I want to." He admitted, his voice timid and hesitant. "I-I know what you're going through, Sunny. I really do."

Her eyebrows furrowed together just slightly as she opened her mouth to ask him what he meant, but Gabby and Casey walked through the doors. Severide tore his eyes away from Sunny and looked down at his coffee.

"Hey, guys." Gabby could sense the tension in the room. Her gaze flickered over to Severide, but he refused to look up. He stood up suddenly, his chair screeching against the linoleum. Sunny flinched at the harsh sound but no one noticed.

"I-I don't know why...." She trailed off, shaking her head as she looked from the door Severide had stormed out of to Gabby and Casey.

"Don't mind him, Sunny." Casey shook his head. He moved over to get himself some coffee. "How's the article going?"

"Um.... It's, uh, it's going good so far." Sunny nodded her head, tucking a few pieces of hair behind her ear. "Can I ask you a quick question, Captain?"

"Casey is just fine." He chuckled softly and turned to face her. "Go ahead."

"At the end of the week I'd like to do interviews of the officers within the firehouse. That includes Chief Boden, Lieutenant Herrmann, and Lieutenant Severide. Would you mind also doing an interview? I just have a few questions I want to ask to get a feel on you as a person." Sunny paused for a moment and noticed the way Gabby seemed to be carefully watching her. "Not-Not like that. I have this idea of doing a short little paragraph on what I've learned about the dynamics of Firehouse 51 and how its leaders work together to make sure our city stays safe. None of the answers to the questions I'm going to ask are going to go into the papers."

Casey grinned a little at Sunny's nervousness. It was clear to tell she was timid and shy.

"I don't mind answering your questions, Ms. Castle."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Sunny gave him a timid smile and nod before leaving.

"She's cute." Gabby commented. "Super shy though. What do you think that was back there?   
Severide just stormed out of here like he was pissed."

"With him, it's hard to tell." Casey sighed.

———

Sunny looked up to see the firefighters of 51 as they made their way into the firehouse from the garage. After four calls back to back, they were ready to eat and nap before the next call.

"What's this, Sunny?" Otis asked her, motioning to the boxes of donuts and cookies on the tables.

"It's for you guys." She stood up and nervously messed with her fingers. "I heard the calls over the scanner and I.... I figured you'd need a little something to get you through the rest of the day."

"I think you're going to fit in well here at 51." Mouch assured her as he made a beeline for the donuts.

Sunny smiled at how happy everyone was. She wasn't sure if they'd actually like what she had done. Someone moved away from the group that had shown an interest in the treats. Sunny's eyes flickered up to see Severide moving towards the door to the locker rooms. Sunny bit her bottom lip and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

———

She found Severide sitting on the bench between the lockers with his elbows on his knees and his head down. His eyes were closed. Quietly, Sunny pulled out her camera and took a quick picture before tucking the camera away.

"Are you okay?" She softly asked him. He lifted his head up and sat up. He held her gaze for a few moments before nodding his head. "I didn't.... I didn't mean to yell at you or upset you earlier."

"No, Sunny. It wasn't your fault." He gave her a little smile but it was forced. "It's just me."

Sunny chewed on her bottom lip for a few moment. He said he had knew what she was going through. What had he meant by that? She moved to sit a few feet away from him. She held her hands in her lap, looking down at her soft blue nails.

"What did you mean earlier when you said you know what I'm going through."

Severide looked to her out of the corner of his eyes and held her gaze for a few heartbeats before lightly shaking his head.

"I'm not ready to talk about it yet."

"Okay. That's okay." Sunny assured him. "It's totally okay. I understand. Are you still mad at me?"

"Why do you think I'm mad at you?" Severide cursed himself for making it seem like he was mad at her. He had to have done something to make her feel that way.

"The.... The way you left earlier." She muttered quietly under her breath.

"M'not mad at you, Sunny. Just myself."

She nodded her head softly and looked down the aisle of lockers.

"Do you want coffee?"

A soft smile crossed his lips and he nodded his head.

"I'd like that." His eyes lingered on hers before she stood up and walked away. His gaze followed her until she disappeared. He brought his eyes back down to his hands.

———

Sunny laughed at something Cruz had said. She sat at a table with him, Brett, Mouch, Otis, and Gabby, listening to them share embarrassing stories about each other and fellow co-workers. Sunny hadn't gotten very many pictures and the day was coming to an end but she had plenty of time to get the pictures she needed.

"Sunny?" Herrmann took her attention away from the group. She looked to see Herrmann walking Gray into the kitchen of the firehouse.

"What are you doing here, Gray?" Sunny pushed herself out of her seat and moved to greet him.

"It's past five o'clock."

"Oh, shit! I'm sorry. I didn't even realize how late it was getting." Sunny hastily brushed her hair back and went to the table to retrieve her things.

"See you tomorrow, Sunny!" Otis waved at her.

"See you guys later!" Sunny put her bag over her shoulder. Gray held his hand out for her. She laced their fingers together and began to walk with him out of the firehouse.

"Oh, Sunny!"

She turned to see Severide coming out of the firehouse. He carried a folder in his hand, holding it out for her.

"Here's that paperwork you asked for."

"Oh. Thank you, Lieutenant." Sunny smiled at him before taking the folder. She wasn't sure exactly what paperwork he thought she'd asked for but apparently it was for her. Gray gripped her hand tightly, pulling her attention away from the folder. "Sorry."

"These people like you." Gray commented as he opened the door to his car for her. "What did you do to suck up?"

"I got them donuts and cookies." She answered, placing her bag in her lap so she could stuff the folder inside. "Do we have plans for dinner?"

"I do. Dad and a few of his colleagues are going out for drinks. I'm going with them."

"Oh, that sounds like fun." Sunny gave him a fake smile. "Since.... Since you won't be home, do you mind if I go over to Kate and Andrew's?"

"I don't mind." Gray shook his head, his eyes focused on the road ahead. He held his hand out with his palm up. Sunny placed her hand in his. At first, his hold was gentle and sweet but then it hardened as he brought her hand closer to his lips. "I don't want you ignoring my calls."

"I wasn't ignoring them, Gray. I-I was busy—,"

"Too busy for me?" He cut her off.

"Never, Gray." Sunny whimpered. "I'm-I'm sorry. It won't happened again."

"Good."

———

When they got home, Gray went to get a shower, leaving Sunny alone in the kitchen. She pulled out the file Severide had given her. Inside were what looked like regulation papers of some sort. With furrowed eyebrows, she flipped through the papers until a bright pink sticky note caught her attention.

_Call me when you can. -K_

Sunny read over the note again and again just to make sure she was reading it right. His number was scribbled into the pink paper in a blue pen. She smiled softly at his spidery, half cursive handwriting. The style was riding a fine line between chaotically neat and a tidy mess.

"Hey, Sunny!" Gray called from the shower. Sunny hastily closed the folder and tucked the sticky note into her pocket.

"Yes, Gray?"

"Ruby and Dominic want to have dinner this weekend."

"Oh that sounds like fun." She put the folder into her bag and looked around the room to try to figure out what to do to make herself appear busy. "Friday or Saturday?"

"I'm thinking Saturday night at La Villa."

"What should I wear?" Sunny decided to go into the room that had been designated as her work space. There were paintings strung up on the walls, some finished and others awaiting their turn. Sunny smiled softly and pulled off her yellow sweater, leaving her only in a pair of black leggings and a white tank top. She took a seat on the stool in front of her easel and picked up her paintbrush.

It seemed like forever before Gray finally left. She had made small talk with him to make it seem like she wasn't trying to rush him out of the house.

Sunny's heart was racing as she watched the door close behind him. She fumbled to pull out the pink sticky note. She dialed Severide's number and put her phone up to her ear.

_"Severide."_

"Hey, Kelly. It's-It's Sunny." She shifted around where she stood before deciding to pace the living room.

_"Sunny, hey. I don't want to get you in trouble or anything. If it's not safe—,"_

"It's okay. I'm home alone." She cut him off.

_"Okay. Good. I was just.... I wanted to know if you were interested in getting drinks tonight. I-I think I'm ready to talk about it."_

A bright smile crossed Sunny's face as she listened to his voice.

"I'd love that, Kelly."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING mentions of an abusive relationship, signs of an abusive relationship

Sunny straightened out her shirt a little more as she walked into the bar. Her eyes flickered around in search of the firefighter she was meeting. She spotted him standing at the bar talking to the bartender. He was smiling flirtatiously and she was eating it up. Sunny hesitated to go to him. She didn't want to interrupt whatever was going on between him and the bartender.

He happened to look towards the door and see Sunny. He said something to the bartender before pushing away from the bar. His eyes found Sunny and he nodded for her to follow him. He moved through the thin crowd to go to an empty booth towards the back of the bar.

Sunny took a seat across from him, stuffing her bag into the corner of the bench. He placed a beer down in front of her.

"I like that color on you." Severide nodded to the maroon sweater she wore. He noticed something on her cheek. It was a blue smudge of paint or something.

"Oh, thank you." Sunny smiled softly.

"I really don't want to get you into trouble, but I just thought you'd.... that you'd maybe want to talk."

Sunny nodded her head softly and looked down at her beer.

"I want to know what you meant when you said you know what I'm going through." Her voice was so quiet that Severide could barely hear her. He took a swig of his drink and looked out over the bar.

"I dated this girl a long time ago. It was short, maybe lasted six months. She had anger issues and she'd.... she'd throw things and sometimes those things were directed at me. She'd hit me sometimes but I never thought much about it." Severide softly shrugged his broad shoulders. His voice was quiet and not as strong as it usually was. "I didn't realize until afterwards that.... that what she had done wasn't right. Never told anyone about it."

"I really appreciate you telling me that, Kelly." Sunny murmured softly. She reached across the table to put her hand on his arm. His blue eyes met hers and a gentle smile crossed his lips.

"How did you meet him?"

"An art gallery in Boston." Sunny sighed, pulling her hand back into her lap. "The Boston Museum of Art had a new Asian exhibit that year.... Tickets were expensive and hard to get, but one of my sisters managed to get me and her tickets." She smiled at the memory. Absentmindedly, she rubbed her arm. "We got dressed up and went. It's still one of the best nights of my life."

"You like art." Severide stated. He was fascinated with this woman.

"I do." She nodded her head.

"I can tell. You've got what looks like blue paint on your cheek." He rubbed his cheek where it was on Sunny. She put her hand over her cheek and her eyes widened.

"Oh my gosh. Are you serious?"

"Here." Severide reached over and brushed the blue smudge off of her cheek. He noticed the way she watched him carefully. Fear flashed through her eyes for a moment and he could've sworn she flinched when he brought his hand closer to her face. He leaned back in his seat and rubbed his palms together. "I-I'm sorry, Sunny."

"No, it's okay." Her voice was a little shaky as she spoke. "It's okay. I promise."

"So you have a sister?" Severide changed the subject in hopes to get her to calm down. He was worried that she'd want to leave after he made her uncomfortable. He wasn't ready for the night to be over. "Older or younger?"

"I have three sisters. The one who took me to Boston is older."

"What's her name?"

"Arbor." Sunny smiled softly, her nails tapping against her beer bottle.

"Arbor and Sunny." Severide thought out loud. "Your parents sound like hippies."

"My name isn't really Sunny." She shook her head with a little laugh.

"Then what is your name?" Severide raised a brow at her.

"Daisy." She answered quietly, biting her bottom lip as she looked down at her beer. No one in Chicago had ever asked what her name was. "Only people in Chicago call me Sunny."

"Why?"

"Because of my tattoo." Sunny pulled the collar of her shirt down to show him her sunflower tattoo. "When I first met Gray, one of his friends started calling me Sunny because he couldn't remember my name. He could only remember my tattoo. It just.... It kind of stuck, even after I left New York."

"How long have you been in Chicago?" Severide's gaze left Sunny to look across the bar. It was pretty full for a Tuesday night.

"Just about seven months. I moved here with Gray." Her voice lowered as she said his name. His eyes flickered back to her. She seemed focused on her hands but her mind was elsewhere.

"Tell you what, Sunny." Severide leaned against the table with his elbows. His voice lowered to a playful whisper. "We aren't going to talk about shitty relationships or anything like that for the rest of the night. Sound good?"

"Yeah." She nodded her head with a little laugh. "I'd like that."

"So art is your thing." He leaned back in the booth and stretched his arm out across the back of the seat. "I've been to the Art Institute of Chicago once or twice. What you can do is a million times better than anything I saw in there."

"It's really not, but thank you." She giggled. Severide liked the noise. It was soft and sweet, just like her. "I haven't been there yet. Is it any good?"

"How have you not been to the biggest art museum in Chicago?" Severide's eyes widened. She softly shrugged her shoulders with a smile as she watched him. He shook his head and sighed. "Man, if they weren't closed right now I would definitely take you."

"That's so sweet, Kelly. But you don't have to." Sunny shook her head.

"I want to." He flashed her with that charming smile of his. "So when do we want to do this?"

Sunny bit her bottom lip, watching Severide while she thought about the answer to that. She opened her mouth to speak but her phone buzzed in her back pocket. She pulled it out and read the name across the screen. It was Gray.

"I-I'm sorry, Kelly. I have to take this." Sunny apologized before she answered the call. "Hi, honey!"

The happiness in her voice broke Severide's heart. She was genuinely happy to speak to a man who put bruises on her. She did love him. Severide turned his attention away from Sunny to look out over the bar once more.

"I'm just with Kate and Liz.... Okay, yeah. We can definitely do that.... Who was that? Oh, okay.... No, I don't mind at all.... Okay. I'll talk to you later, Gray." Sunny ended the call and watched her phone for a few moments like she was expecting a other call.

"Is something wrong?" Severide asked her. Sunny lifted her gaze to meet his. She bit her bottom lip between her teeth for a few moments, silently holding his gaze.

"No, everything is okay." Her words were weak and lacked truth. "Um, I think Friday evening is a good idea. I'm busy Saturday but Friday would definitely work."

A smile crossed Severide's lips as he nodded his head.

"Friday it is."

———

_ The Next Morning _   
_7:48a.m._

Severide jumped awake when someone sat a cup of coffee down in front of him. It was Casey. Severide rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

"What time is it?"

"Almost eight in the morning." Casey leaned against the side of Severide's desk. "You didn't go home last night, did you?"

"I was out with.... with a friend." He picked up the coffee and took a few chugs of the deliciously hot liquid.

"How late?"

"Pretty late." Severide laughed a little.

"You gonna tell me her name?" Casey grinned a little as he glanced down at the paperwork attached to a clipboard in his hands.

"It was Sunny." Severide half covered his mouth with his hand. There was a big, mischeivous smile on his lips. Casey's eyes widened and he stood to his feet.

"Kelly, no. She's engaged to another man."

"It wasn't like that, Matt." Severide ran a hand over his head. "We just went out for drinks."

"I think you're kind of missing the point, Severide. You don't have drinks with a woman who is going to marry someone else!"

"Gray Talbot." Severide leaned against one elbow that rested on the arm of his chair.

"What?" Casey furrowed his brows together.

"Gray Talbot.... is the man she's marrying." Severide's voice was quiet as he spoke. His eyes dropped down to the space just under his desk.

"That's why that guy who came by yesterday to pick her up looked so familiar." Casey put his hands on his hips as he stared at his best friend with slightly widened eyes. "Oh _shit_."

"That's what I said when I found out." Severide moved his chair from side to side and put his head back so he could stare at the ceiling. "The guy's an absolute dickhead. She deserves better."

"Didn't he kill a girl a few years back?"

"Put her in a coma." Severide corrected him. "But I don't see how that's any better."

Casey was silent for a few moments, his eyes seemingly glued to Severide. Something was bothering his friend.

"Does he.... Has she told you he puts his hands on her?"

"She hasn't said anything straight out, but I know he does." Severide didn't want to give the evidence to support his statement. He knew it wasn't in his place to be telling Casey anything but this was his best friend, someone he trusted and knew he could confide in.

"Hey, guys." Gabby stopped in the doorway of Severide's office, giving both men a smile. "Breakfast is ready."

"We'll be right there." Casey kissed her forehead and watched her walk away.

"Hey, I need you to keep everything I just told you between us." Severide's spoke quietly.

"Of course, Severide. Who am I going to tell?"

"You mean besides Dawson who will tell Brett and she'll tell the rest of the house?" Severide rolled his eyes.

"Fair enough." Casey sighed. "I won't tell Gabby anything. You have my word."

"Thanks, man." Severide nodded his head once. As Casey left his office, Severide's eyes flickered over to the reports on his desk that needed to be filled out.

———

Sunny didn't show up until around noon and even then Severide didn't see her until almost two in the afternoon. The only reason he knew she had been at the firehouse was because her bag had been left in a chair in the kitchen and there were three containers of cheesecake on the table that everyone had happily dug into. Sunny had done a very good job at avoiding him but he wasn't sure why she was avoiding him.

When he finally found her, she was on her knees on the floor of the garage with her camera in hand, taking pictures of the rigs from different angles. She was dressed in an oversized light blue sweater with a soft gray scarf and a pair of black leggings.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Castle." Severide leaned against one of the rigs down from the one Sunny had been taking pictures of. She jumped at the sound of his voice and lowered her camera. A hesitant smile crossed her lips.

"Hi, Kelly." She stood to her feet and put her camera over her shoulder. She started to walk away when Severide stopped her.

"Sunny, did I do something wrong last night?" He followed after her.

"No, Kelly. It wasn't you." She spoke over her shoulder.

"Then why are you running from me? Did I say something last night that—,"

Severide fell silent. Sunny came to a stop and turned on her heels to face him. Fear and worry filled her features. It was easy to see in her eyes that she was scared of something. Severide's eyes flickered down to her scarf and the way she tugged at it almost like she wanted to cover something, but it was too late. He had seen the dark fingerprint markings on her neck. His heart fell to the pit of his stomach and he felt nauseous suddenly. His brows were pulled together and his lips parted, but he couldn't find his voice for a while.

"Did I.... Did he do that because of me?" He whispered.

"It wasn't your fault, Kelly." Sunny shook her head, moving the scarf around in an attempt to cover the markings. Severide took a few hesitant steps towards her before something behind her caught his attention. He could see Cruz and Otis making their way towards them. Severide took Sunny's hand and pulled her into one of the engines. She sat down in one of the seats in the back, tears blurring her vision as she watched this man she barely knew close the door to the rig. He took a seat next to her, his eyes tender and worried.

"He found out about me–about us having drinks, right?"

"No, Kelly." Sunny could see the pain in his blue orbs. He was scared that he had been the one to cause those nasty bruises on her skin. She reached over to place her shaky hand on top of his. "He didn't find out about that. He-He just got mad at me."

"Why?"

"Because I was out so late, and I missed some of his calls."

"Sunny." He murmured softly, turning his hand over so he could hold hers. "I'm-I'm so sorry, Sunny. I had no idea—,"

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Kelly." She pushed a smile on to her lips as she peered up at him. She had done a great job at forcing the tears back. "I had such a great time last night. You're so easy to talk to and I enjoyed myself a lot. Don't be sorry for that."

Severide nodded his head but her words didn't make the guilt swirling in his stomach go away.

"Why do you stay with him?"

His question caught Sunny off guard. She pulled her hand out of his and nervously clasped her hands together in her lap.

"I-I love him, Kelly. He's an amazing guy—,"

"He hurts you, Sunny."

"I deserve it." She whispered quietly, avoiding his gaze. She didn't have the courage to look him in the eyes right now. "I'm-I'm not the wife he deserves but I'm trying to be, okay? It's not easy for him being with someone like me."

"Someone like you." Severide repeated softly. Her head was down and her dirty blonde hair fell into her face, shielding her eyes from him.

"I'm useless, Kelly. I don't make good money, I-I'm messy and I'm clumsy and-and I don't look good in anything that isn't a baggy sweater. And I can't cook." She laughed dryly. "That stupid cheesecake in there is the only thing I can make because it doesn't require a stove. I-I mean, what kind of woman can't cook?"

"Is this what he's told you? That you're useless?"

Sunny didn't answer his question. Severide was growing furious. He wasn't sure if he was irritated with himself, Sunny, or her fiancé.

"You're not useless, Sunny." He murmured softly. He was afraid that if he spoke in a normal tone, he'd come across angry. The last thing he wanted to do was make her think he was angry at her.

She took a deep, shaky breath, her shoulders trembling as she did so.

"I have-I have pictures I need to take, Kelly." She quietly told him before getting out of the rig. Severide ran a hand over his face, a frustrated sighing leaving his lips.


	7. Chapter 7

_ Two Days Later _   
_Friday_

Sunny pushed the door to her apartment shut behind herself. She took the groceries in her hands to the kitchen. She pulled her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans and turned on music. It was only around four in the evening so she expected to be home alone. She turned the music up a little and pulled out a bottle of wine from the fridge.

She glanced over to the clock above the stove as she poured herself a glass of wine. The Art Institute of Chicago closed in an hour. She did regret ignoring Kelly Severide for the last two days but it was for his own good. She needed to keep herself distanced from him. She really was looking forward to going to the museum with him, but with the last time she talked to him having been Wednesday, Sunny knew there was no chance of that happening.

He was a sweet man with a tender smile and a charming personality. She wasn't sure what had drawn her to him more, his brilliant blue eyes or his kind voice.

Something tore Sunny's attention away from the music. It sounded like someone had shouted. She turned the music down and listened again. This time, there was a bang against a wall in the apartment. Unsure of what exactly was happening, Sunny paused the music before moving from the kitchen across the living room and down the hallway. The bathroom door was pushed open and the light was off. It was empty. The spare room, Gray's office, and Sunny's art studio were empty too. The only room left was their bedroom.

She came to a stop at the door. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she listened.

"Gray." Someone moaned. Sunny's heart dropped hearing the female voice. Her stomach clenched tightly. Adrenaline began to pump through her veins. She twisted the door knob and pushed the door open.

Gray was on top of a blonde woman who Sunny easily recognized as Ruby Marcus, one of his friends from college. Sunny had actually considered her a friend. Ruby was always so kind to her when Sunny and Gray would go out with her and her husband, Dominic.

Sunny was frozen in her place, her feet glued to the floor. Ruby was the first one to notice. She smacked Gray's arm and pushed him off of her. Ruby hastily pulled a sheet up to cover herself. Gray was scrambling to get away from Ruby, his eyes frantic as he looked at Sunny.

"Sunny! I-I'm-This isn't—,"

"Sunny, baby." Gray cut Ruby off. He picked up an article of clothing from the floor and used it to cover himself. Sunny shook her head, tears prickling her eyes as she turned and sprinted out of the room. "Sunny! Sunny, wait!"

Sunny grabbed her phone and her bag and left the apartment, slamming the door shut behind herself. The adrenaline was making her legs move faster than she thought they ever could. She made it into the elevator and pressed the main floor button. As the doors slid shut, she collapsed in a corner, her knees pulled tightly to her chest. Hot tears ran down her cheeks, ruining her makeup.

———

Carrying a coffee in one hand and stack of paperwork in the other, Severide made his way towards his office. It was late in the evening, around seven, and with no plans for the night, he decided paperwork would be the smartest thing to do.

He hadn't really spoken to Sunny since Wednesday when he took her into a rig to talk to her. He would smile at her or greet her but he decided to put some space between them. This woman had come out of nowhere and stolen his attention so quickly that Severide didn't know what to do about it. After she made no attempts to talk to him in the last two days, he figured she didn't want to go to the museum with him. She had a rich fiancé she wanted to be with. She didn't need a firefighter on her case about her life choices.

Severide sat down at his desk and let out a heavy sigh. The stack of papers on his desk was a nightmare. He dreaded paperwork. He picked up the piece of paper on top and began to read through it. Not even half way through the paper, something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Standing in the doorway to his office was Sunny.

She was dressed in a gray v-neck long sleeve that fit her snugly. The top was tucked into a pair of skinny jeans. A black rain jacket was overtop of the long sleeve. Her dirty blonde hair fell past her shoulders in messy waves. Her eyes were red and her makeup was a little smudged. Her arms were tightly crossed over her chest.

Severide turned his chair towards the door, his brows drawing together ever so softly.

"I-I don't have anyone else to turn to. My.... My friends would just make it worse." She whispered. 

"What happened?" He quietly asked her. She took a steady deep breath before answering.

"I caught Gray cheating on me in our home."

"Oh, Sunny. I'm so sorry."

"I don't want your pity. I don't want anyone's pity. I don't _need_ it." Passive aggressive hostility laced her voice. Severide had never heard her sound this assertive. She was always meek and timid. "If.... If you're busy, I totally get it. Just tell me.... But I really just want to take my mind off of everything wrong with my life."

Severide nodded his head, his eyes lingering on her for a few moments before he looked down to his watch.

"I think I've got something we can do." He smiled just a little. Sunny smiled back, the simple action making Severide's heart soar.

"Okay. Give me, like, two seconds to get my shit together."

"We aren't in any rush, sweetheart." He assured her, dropping his left eyelid in a wink. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink and she bit her bottom lip. "Take all the time you need. I'll be waiting out by my car. It's the blue Mustang around back.

"Okay." She nodded her head and left his office.

Severide ran a hand over his face and leaned back in his seat for a moment. He found himself smiling stupidly at absolutely nothing.

"Come on, Kelly." He muttered to himself as he pushed himself to his feet. He turned the light in his office out and closed the door. As he was making his way down the hall towards an exit, he pulled his phone out to make a call. "Hey, Jay? It's Kelly. Listen, I've got a huge favor to ask."

———

The door to the firehouse creaked open, signalling someone was coming out. Severide lifted his head to see Sunny making her way down the stairs. Her cheeks were no longer red and her makeup was fixed. She smiled as she met his gaze.

"I like your car." She complimented, eyeing the beautiful vintage two door Mustang he was leaning against. "'68, right?"

"You know your cars." He pulled open the passenger side door for her.

"My dad is a huge nerd when it comes to old fashioned cars. He has a '64 Plymouth Barracuda. It's his pride and joy. Sometimes I think he loves that car like a daughter."

"If I had a Barracuda, I'd probably be the same way." Severide chuckled softly as he got into the driver's seat. "Sounds like I'd like your dad."

"You remind me of him." Sunny commented, her eyes briefly looking over the interior of the Mustang. He put the car in drive and pulled out of the firehouse parking lot. "I have a 1970 Firebird."

"No way." Severide's eyes widened as he looked over to her for a few moments. "Here in Chicago?"

"In New York." She shook her head with a little sigh. "I left it at my parents' house. Gray bought me a newer car. He doesn't.... He doesn't like old ones."

"Damn." Severide cursed quietly. "I would've loved to see it."

"I've been thinking about getting her back." Sunny thought out loud. "So where is it you're taking me, Lieutenant Severide?"

"That, Ms. Castle, is a surprise."

"I don't like surprises." She frowned teasingly. He smiled a little at her but shook his head.

"Sorry, sweetheart. I can't tell you until we get there."

"Fine." She crossed her arms and looked away from him. For a second, Severide wasn't sure if she was genuinely upset that he was wanting to surprise her or if she was just joking. But even though she was turned away from him, he could see the smile playing on her lips.

———

Sunny watched as they pulled up in front of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her lips parted as she looked at the massive green lion statue sitting outside of the building.

"Why are we here, Kelly?" She furrowed her eyebrows together. She turned her head to look at him. A bright grin was plastered across his lips. Without answering her question, he unbuckled his seatbelt and got out. Confused, Sunny watched him walk around to her side of the car and open the door. He pulled her door open then held his hand out for her. "Kelly, it's closed."

"Don't worry about it. Come on." He encouraged. Sunny looked down at his hand, taking her bottom lip between her teeth. She reached back to unbuckled her seatbelt before putting her hand in his. He held her hand for a moment and she was okay with it. His hand was warm and inviting compared to the frigid night air. When he let her hand go, she couldn't help but feel sad at the loss of contact. "The institute is owned by C.P.D. I was able to pull some strings and the guy who runs it is staying a little later so we can go in."

"Kelly...." Sunny came to a stop, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she looked at him. She was absolutely taken back by his actions. He knew how badly she had wanted to go to the museum and he made sure it happened, even if that meant calling in favors. Kelly Severide was willing to do that _for her._

"You didn't have to do this for me, Kelly."

"You were having a rough day." He shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal. "I wanted to make it better. Did it work?"

"Yes." She whispered, nodding her head as her hands fell to her sides. "Yes. I think you made my entire week better."

"Good." He smiled proudly. "Now come on. It's cold out here."

Sunny excitedly walked past him and up the stairs towards the doors to the institute. Severide could see a little bit of a bounce to her movements. She was ecstatic and barely containing it. He smiled softly and shook his head. She was getting excited over art. _What a dork._

———

The entire walk through took nearly four hours. Sunny would explain almost every painting to him and he listened. She was able to tell Severide the artist who had done the painting, a little background information to it, when it was finished, and relatively how much it cost. Sometimes she threw in a bit of history about the artist too.

It was past eleven by the time they walked out of the institute. Severide's hands were stuffed into his pockets as he listened to her explain what fascinated her so much about the painting _Cow's Skull with Calico Roses_ by Georgia O'Keeffe.

There was so much passion and emotion in her voice, something that he hadn't been able to witness in the short time they had known each other. She was no longer the shy, timid woman he thought she was. She was vibrant and airy and extremely talkative. She used her hands when she spoke to emphasize what she was saying. She was even _happy_. Severide enjoyed this side of her far more than the one she showed everyone.

She finally fell silent as they were making their way down the stairs. She held her hands in front of her stomach, nervously messing with her nails as she looked down. Severide glanced over to her. She seemed to be deep in thought about something.

"What's on your mind?" He took a seat on one of the stairs. Sunny sat down a few steps above him. She held her hands in her lap and focused her eyes on them.

"I talked too much in there, didn't I? If-If I'm irritating, Kelly, just tell me. Just stop me and tell me I'm irritating you or ruining your time. I don't want you to feel like all I ever do is talk."

"You didn't irritate me, Sunny." Severide softly shook his head. "I love listening to you talk."

"You do?" Her eyes flickered up to meet his.

"Yeah, of course."

"I've always been told that I talk too much or I'm too loud."

Severide had no doubt that Gray Talbot had drilled these thoughts into Sunny's head.

"Who's told you that?"

Sunny said nothing, but her silence answered him.

"Whoever it was, they don't know what they're talking about." Severide shook his head. "You've got a beautiful voice."

"You think so?" A gentle smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"I do." He nodded his head to assure her. Her gaze dropped back down to her hands.

"Kelly? What.... What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

Her question caught him by surprise. Soft blue eyes watched her carefully, holding her gaze for a few heartbeats before he looked ahead of him.

"I knew you wanted to go to the museum and I knew it would make you happy."

"No one ever does anything without wanting something."

Severide sighed out gently and leaned back on the stairs, propping himself up with one elbow.

"Sunny, I want to know who you were before Gray Talbot." He admitted. "I know I haven't even known you a week but I know who you make people think you are is not who you actually are. Tonight proved that. You're usually shy and you come across as quiet and timid. But tonight, you were loud." He laughed softly, blue eyes staying on her. "You laughed and you smiled. And you talked, a lot. I mean, I don't think in the past four days I've heard you talk as much as you did tonight. But that's okay. You're cute when you're excited."

Pink rose to her cheeks as she looked down. She tucked a few pieces of hair behind her ear. There was a soft, sad smile that crossed her lips.

"Before him, I.... I was wild. I'd go to parties every weekend. I-I wasn't really afraid to be me. But Gray.... his family comes from old money. They're old fashioned. I'm too messy and clumsy and loud for them."

"Then why be with someone who doesn't love you for you?"

"He does love me, Kelly." She breathed out.

"No he doesn't, Sunny." Severide gently shook his head. "If he loved you the way you deserve to be loved, then he wouldn't put his hands on you."

She said nothing. Severide looked to his car and bit the inside of his cheek. He stood to his feet and held his hand out for Sunny.

"Let's go get ice cream."

"It's almost forty degrees out, Kelly."

"I know." He grinned a little and motioned for her to take his hand. "I want ice cream."

———

Sunny and Severide sat in Grant Park at the Buckingham Fountain. She sat facing him with one foot tucked underneath herself. Severide was turned a little towards her. They both had gotten their own pints of ice cream. Sunny had gotten cookies and cream while Severide got moose tracks.

"So how long have you been doing art stuff?" Severide asked her. She laughed lightly at his wording.

"I have been doing art stuff all my life." Sunny replied with a little grin. "My parents have always been very artistic and into that sort of thing. My mom grew up dancing in France and my dad is a writer, but he plays the piano, guitar, and violin on the side. Their habits rubbed off on my sisters. I've never seen an instrument my sister, Arbor, couldn't play. Piano, cello, ukulele, trumpet, saxaphone, all of it. She's so talented. Anastasia is an actress. She's still in high school but last I heard.... she was dominating the theater class. Genesis is a writer for the New York Times. She's always been gifted with words. It's so weird how she can make you feel through her writings. And Paisley.... Paisley could sing and she danced and when she did, it was a magical experience. She had this ability to make everyone feel something when she performed." A little smile was tugging at her lips. Severide could see something flash across her eyes.

"Had?" He repeated quietly. Sunny nodded her head and raked her fingers through her hair.

"Paisely died in a car accident on the way to one of our friends' graduation party."

"I'm sorry, Sunny."

"It's okay." She put on a forced smile and lightly shook her head. "It was so long ago."

"But that doesn't make it any easier."

"True." She murmured softly. She scooped up a spoonful of her ice cream. "Paisley was my best friend. We were so close."

"I lost my best friend a while back." Severide's voice was a quiet whisper. His eyes were focused on the ice cream container in his hands. Sunny noticed the way his hands started to tremble ever so slightly. She put her ice cream aside and placed her hand on his arm to comfort him.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Kelly."

He said nothing but nodded his head gently.

"She was a paramedic with Dawson. Her name was Shay. You would've loved her." His lips tugged up in a pained smile.

"I wish I had had a chance to meet her."

"Me too."

Sunny rubbed his arm for a few moments before pulling her hand away. Severide cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

"So what did you end up with from your parents?"

"I got the drawing gene, I guess." Sunny shrugged her shoulders softly. "I mean, I was good in dance class and I can sing but it was never my thing, you know? I've always been able to draw though. I've heard stories about my grandpa from my mom's side who was a talented artist."

"You're pretty good yourself." Severide put a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. "You ever thought about selling your stuff?"

"No, definitely not." She laughed a little, almost like she thought what he had suggested was humorous. "I'm not that good."

"I think you're way better than you think you are. I've seen you draw things way better than most of the stuff in that museum."

"Well that's very sweet of you, Kelly." She held his gaze for a few moments before pulling her bag into her lap. She took her phone out to check the time. "Shit."

"What?"

"I've got almost thirty missed calls from Gray and so many more texts." She spoke quietly. Her hand came up to loosely hold her neck as she went through the calls and texts. "Shit."

"Are you going to go back to him?" Severide asked her. Her eyes flickered up to him and she bit her bottom lip. "You are."

"Kelly, I-I have to. People make mistakes. I've heard plenty of times where-where a man cheats the closer it gets to his wedding. It's just a slip up."

"You have a date for the wedding?"

"The end of July." Sunny nodded her head softly. Severide dropped his eyes to his ice cream. "I should be going, Kelly. It's late."

"I'll drive you home." He put the lid on his ice cream and stood to his feet.

———

The entire twenty minute ride to Sunny's apartment was silent, and the silence was eating her up. He was mad at her. She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to think of something to say.

"I'm sorry, Kelly." She hesitantly glanced over to him.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, sweetheart." He shook his head as he ran a hand over his face.

"But you're mad."

"Not at you." He assured her. "I'm not mad at you."

Sunny nodded her head softly.

"Sunny, I need you to promise me you'll text me or call me if you need anything." He turned his head to look over at her. "If he starts hitting you—,"

"I'll be okay, Kelly."

"But I want you to text me if he does. I don't care what you say, Sunny, you don't deserve it. Promise me that, Sunny." He reached over to take her hand. Something in Sunny's chest fluttered. She nodded her head and squeezed her hand. "Say it, please."

"I promise I'll text you."

"Thank you." He gave her a little smile.

"I'll see you Monday, Lieutenant."

Severide watched her get out of the car and go up to the building. The doorman opened the door for her as he greeted her. Severide rubbed his face and put his car in drive, but he didn't pull away. Part of him wanted to stay outside of the apartment building until he got the text. He also prayed that she actually went through with her promise.


	8. Chapter 8

Sunny's heart raced as she neared the door to her apartment. She was dreading coming back home. She was positive Gray would be furious. She had left without telling him where she was going and without answering his calls or texts for hours. She almost regretted storming out, but she didn't regret spending time with Kelly Severide. He had this ability to make all of her worries and her doubts disappear. He made her feel like herself again. He liked her weird quirks and he liked listening to her talk.

As Sunny lifted her hand to open the door, she noticed her fingers were trembling. She hesitated to twist the door knob. This perfect night was going to end as soon as she stepped into her apartment. Swallowing the lump of fear in her throat, Sunny pushed the door to the apartment open.

All of the lights were off with the exception of a lamp in the living room and the light above the stove in the kitchen.

"Oh thank god, Sunny." Gray breathed out. He stood up from the couch and made his way towards her. Sunny froze in her spot. Her body tensed in preparation for whatever he was about to do and her eyes closed. Arms wrapped firmly around her. His hand came up to hold the back of her head, cradling her head to his chest. "I was so worried about you, baby. You weren't answering my calls and-and I thought something had happened."

"I just needed space, Gray." She whispered. Her voice was shaky as she spoke. Courage found its way into her veins. She gently pushed him off of her and stepped back. "How long have you been sleeping with her?"

"Sunny, that was a total mistake and I—,"

"I don't even care right now, Gray." She cut him off. Though she wanted to yell and shout, she couldn't bring herself to do it. All she could do was something between a low whisper and a soft breath. "I just want to know how long this has been going on."

"Just this once, baby. She stopped by to borrow a dress from you and-and I don't even know how any of it happened, Sunny." Gray shook his head. His eyes were puffy and his cheeks were red. He had been crying. "I love you so much, Sunny—,"

"Our wedding is in three months, Gray." She interrupted him again. "You can't-You can't do this again. I won't deal with it."

"It won't happen again, baby." Gray kissed her forehead and then her cheek. "Only you, baby. I love you."

"I love you." Sunny turned her head away from him before he could kiss her lips. "I'm tired, Gray. I want to go to bed."

"Okay. Tomorrow we can go shopping. You can buy anything you want. Shoes, clothes, bags, anything, baby." Gray reluctantly let her go.

Sunny nodded her head but said nothing. He followed her down the hallway but she stopped at the spare bedroom.

"I'm not sleeping in that bed, Gray." She shook her head. The images of Gray being so intimate with Ruby were too fresh and painful. "I'm going to sleep in here. You can sleep in our bed."

"Baby, please—,"

"Goodnight, Gray." Sunny closed the door to the room. She leaned against the door for a few moments in an attempt to get her racing heartbeat under control. Her knees were shaking and she felt the urge to vomit.

After countless minutes passed, she managed to move away from the door and go towards the bed. She kicked her shoes off and pulled off her bra and jeans. Now in just a pair of panties and a sweater, she climbed into the bed. She pulled her bag up on to the bed so she could get her phone. She settled back against the pillows in the bed and pulled the blankets up over her legs. She sent a text message to Severide.

To: Kelly S  
<"I don't want you to worry about me. Everything is okay. Thank you for the amazing time tonight. I had a lot of fun.">

Barely a minute after she sent the message, three dots appeared just above the keyboard.

From: Kelly S  
<"Thanks for texting me. I had an amazing time. It was good to see you smile. Good night sweetheart. I'll text you tomorrow.">

Sunny smiled at his text.

———

Sunny sat at the island in the kitchen, sipping a cup of coffee and doodling in her sketch book. Gray had been awake for a while. She could hear him in his office talking on the phone to someone. She didn't care to listen to what he was talking about. She was too focused on the drawing. She was working on a bundle of sunflowers.

Arms slipped around her waist. Gray kissed her shoulder.

"Good morning, baby."

"Good morning." Sunny glanced over her shoulder to him. He took the chance to place a kiss on her lips.

"Where do you want to go first?" He sat down on the stool next to her. "We can go get a dress for tonight."

"Tonight?" She repeated, furrowing her brows together.

"Yeah. We're going to dinner with Ruby and Dominic, remember?"

"But Ruby—,"

"Dominic doesn't know, Sunny." Gray cut her off with a heavy sigh. "And he doesn't need to know. We are going to dinner tonight and you aren't going to give me shit about it. Got it?"

Sunny nodded her head but said nothing. Her eyes focused in on her coffee.

"I love you, Sunny. Not Ruby." He put his hand on her knee. "Do you love me?"

"I do." She answered him quietly. "What.... What kind of dress do you think I should wear?"

———

6:58pm

Sunny stood in the bathroom of her and Gray's apartment, putting the last finishing touches on her makeup. In less than two hours, she'd be sitting at the table with her fiance and the same woman she had walked in on him with the night before. She had tried to get out of going, suggesting to Gray that they spend the night having a more romantic and intimate dinner together at home or going out of town, but he wasn't having it. Part of Sunny thought Gray wanted to see Ruby and that was why he was making them go out for dinner.

The front door opened but Sunny didn't pay any mind to it.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Gray asked.

"I came to see if you and Sunny had heard about the fire at the steel factory on the river." Kate said. Sunny left the bathroom and moved down the hallway. "Sunny, look." She pointed to the television with the remote she held in her hand.

Sunny stood a few feet away from the tv and watched. The camera was focused on the firefighters outside of the building at first. The cameraman was doing a bad job at holding the camera steady but Sunny could point out Gabby Dawson and Sylvie Brett by the back of an ambulance. They were working on a few men who appeared to have burns. Sunny slowly sat down on the arm of the sofa, her brown eyes carefully flickering around the screen as the cameraman turned the camera to one of the firetrucks on the scene. It was Engine 51. Lieutenant Herrmann from 51 was the commanding officer of Engine 51.

"Herrmann." She whispered out loud.

"Who?" Gray looked over to her.

"The-The people I've been working with for the last week are there." Sunny's stomach twisted and turned as she watched the camera move to someone else. Captain Casey was talking to Chief Boden. Both appeared panicked over something. All Sunny could focus on was Severide. Where was he? Was he okay? "I have to go."

"Wait, Sunny!" Gray shouted her name but she didn't stop until she got to the door.

"I'll meet you at the restuarant, Gray." Sunny didn't have time to worry about the consequences of her actions. She grabbed her bag and hurried out of her apartment.

——–

Her heels clicked against the tiled floor of the hospital as she frantically searched for the room Kelly Severide was in. The nurse at the front desk had given her a room number but Sunny hadn't been listening. She came to a quick stop when she found him. He was sitting on the edge of a bed in with his shirt off. There were a few sticky patches for an EKG machine stuck to his chest to monitor his heart. There were a few cuts on his cheek and black soot was smeared across his face.

"Oh thank god." Sunny breathed out in relief. Severide lifted his head and his eyes widened at the sight of her.

"What are you doing here, Sunny?" He furrowed his brows together. His voice was a little raspy but still as captivating as usual.

"I-I saw it all on the news." She stepped into the room, nervously messing with her fingers. "I went down to the factory but Chief Boden said you had been sent here. He didn't tell me why. I was so scared something had happened."

She put her bag in an empty chair in the room and moved towards him. She stopped a few feet away to inspect him. The cuts on his face didn't seem too deep. She placed her hand on the side of his head and used her thumb to brush away the soot on his cheekbone.

"It scared me." She admitted to him.

"Just breathed in some smoke." Blue eyes flickered up to meet hers. Her touch was soft and warm, a stark contrast to the cold hospital room they were in. She let her hand fall to her side. His gaze looked up and down to take in her outfit. She was dressed in a dark red long sleeve with a deep v-neck. The shirt was tucked into a black skirt that fell to just a few inches above her knees. Black heels adorned her feet and her dirty blonde hair was in loose curls that fell down her back. "Did you get dressed up for me?" He teased. Sunny blushed, pushing her hair back out of her eyes as she laughed lightly.

"Oh definitely. I was so worried that something had happened to you that I took my time getting into this tight skirt and putting on an hour's worth of makeup before coming here to see you."

"A man can dream." He chuckled and rubbed his eyes. "You look good though."

"Thanks." She looked down at her outfit just to make sure nothing was out of place. "So you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." He nodded his head, his gaze meeting hers. Their eyes lingered on each other for what felt like hours but had to have been only a few moments. Sunny tore her eyes away from him when she saw someone move into the room. It was a man in red scrubs.

"I thought I told you to stay laying down until I got back, Severide." Dr. Halstead sighed out.

"I told you, doc, I'm fine." Severide shook his head.

"You jumped out of a three story window."

"You what?" Sunny's eyes widened as she looked over to Severide.

"Thanks, Will." Severide sighed out, then coughed harshly.

"Sorry."

"You said you breathed in smoke, Kelly."

"A little." He shrugged his broad shoulders like it was no big deal.

"He jumped out of a window?" Sunny turned her attention to Halstead.

"Yeah. Miraculously, he didn't break anything." Dr. Halstead nodded his head. "I'll work on getting you those discharge papers."

As Dr. Halstead left, Sunny's attention flickered back to Severide. She didn't look happy. Her eyes were full of concern and worry. Her eyebrows were drawn together and her lips slightly parted.

"Don't look at me like that, Sunny. It's okay. I'm okay." Severide stood to his feet, putting him toe to toe with Sunny. Her eyes very briefly raked over his toned torso before she looked up at him.

"You jumped out of a window."

"I've done it plenty of times. I'm a pro."

"That's not something you should be bragging about, Severide." Casey sighed out as he appeared in the doorway of the room. Sunny took a step back from Severide and clasped her hands together in front of herself. "Chief sent me to pick you up."

"I should be going." Sunny said, taking a few steps towards the door. She picked up her bag and threw it across her shoulders. "I'll text you later."

"I'll be waiting." He grinned a little and watched her leave.

"That was so cheesy." Casey shook his head as he tossed Severide a shirt.

"I know." He winced as he pulled his shirt on.


	9. Chapter 9

_ Monday _

"Has anyone heard from Sunny?" Cruz asked as he walked into the room. "She said she'd be bringing in cookies next time she came."

"That's right." Otis nodded his head. "She said she was going to make chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies."

Casey lifted his head up from the paper he had been reading. There were shakes of heads or soft no's spoken. No one knew where the photographer was. His eyes flickered around the room in search of Severide, but the lieutenant wasn't there. Casey stood to his feet and began to leave when Gabby stopped him.

"Where are you going, babe?" She asked curiously.

"Gotta run something by Severide real quick." He gave her a little smile before leaving the room.

———

Severide was in his office with paperwork scattered everywhere like he had been doing something productive. He held his phone in his hand and seemed focused on something. Casey knocked on the opened door to the office. Severide lifted his head up and put his phone down.

"How's it going?"

"It's slow." Severide sighed out. "Seems like every time I get one thing finished, eight more papers show up. What about you?"

"Just came from the kitchen. No one's seen Sunny today." Casey watched Severide carefully. There was a slight shift in his demeanor. His eyes left Casey and flickered back to his phone.

"I tried texting her yesterday but she never answered. Haven't talked to her since Saturday when I was at the hospital."

"Do you think Talbot could've found her phone?"

"She has me in her phone under my first name so he'll think I'm a girl." Severide grinned a little, remembering when Sunny had told him that when they went out for drinks a little less than a week ago. The grin disappeared and he rubbed his jaw. "I'm worried about her, Matt."

Casey nodded his head softly but didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say.

Severide's phone buzzed on his desk. He picked it up and turned it over.

"It's her." He leaned forward in his chair as he answered the call. "Hey, Sunny."

" _Hi, Kelly."_ Her soft voice made the worries and concerns in his head dissipate.

"You never texted me back Saturday. Where are you at?" Severide tapped the pen in his hand against the edge of his desk.

_"I got caught up with something else."_

"Is he with you?"

_"No, no. He's out for the day. Um, I-I just wanted to tell you that I don't.... I don't think we should talk anymore."_

Severide sat back in his chair.

"Did he find out about us hanging out?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Severide looked to Casey, who had been listening in on the conversation. Casey furrowed his brows together just slightly, silently asking if everything was okay. Severide shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. He didn't know.

"Sunny? You still there, sweetheart?"

 _"Yeah."_ She whispered and sniffled. _"I-I just don't know why I'm calling you. I barely know you, but your voice just.... calms me down."_

"Are you okay, Sunny?"

 _"Today was just.... Today was hard._ " Her voice cracked.

"Since.... Since you don't want to talk to me, do you have anyone else to talk to about it? One of your friends, maybe?"

_"I never said I didn't want to talk to you. It's dangerous for you to be around me."_

"He found out." Severide breathed out. He brought a hand up to rub his face. "Shit, Sunny. I'm so sorry."

_"No, Kelly. It's-It's not your fault. I knew the risk talking to you but he.... Kelly, he's threatening your life and I-I can't let him hurt you."_

"Sweetheart, I can promise you he won't hurt me."

_"I can't take that risk."_

"How about we meet up for lunch and talk about it?"

_"That's not a good idea, Kelly."_

"Sunny, I'm worried about you." He admitted. His eyes fell to the floor. "Please, Sunny."

_"Okay."_

Severide picked up his jacket and slipped out of his office past Casey.

"I know this great place." Severide turned to face Casey as he took steps backwards. "I'm going out for a bit, Casey. I'll have my radio on."

Casey nodded his head once.

———

Severide's foot bounced up and down as he waited for her. He sat alone at a table in a little diner in Hyde Park. His eyes continuously watched through the glass window as people passed by. He was anxious to see her. He could hear in her voice that she was upset and wasn't feeling herself. He was worried about her.

He straightened up when he saw her familiar dirty blonde hair. She was dressed in a pair of black leggings, a dark green Dartmouth sweatshirt, and a pair of white tennis shoes. Her dirty blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail but a few strands fell down around her face. There was a black and gray plaid scarf wrapped around her neck.

Severide opened his mouth to speak but before he could get anything out, he stopped himself. He could see dark bruising around her hairline. Makeup had been used to cover the bruising on her forehead and temple. Her lip was busted in two different spots. There was faded bruising underneath her eyes and a little butterfly bandaid over a cut above her eyebrow.

Guilt poured into Severide's stomach as she sat down across from him.

"Sunny, I'm so sorry—,"

"No, don't." She cut him off, shaking her head as she took a deep breath. "Don't. It's not your fault. I knew this would happen and I took the risk."

"How did he find out?"

"He hasn't. He didn't like that I was late to dinner Saturday night because I came to check on you. I told him I went to check on the firefighters who responded to the scene and he kind of just thought that automatically meant you. He doesn't like you and he doesn't want me near you. He hasn't actually found out that I've been texting you or I went out with you Friday night. He just.... He was really mad about that whole dinner thing." Sunny muttered.

"Sunny, let me help you." Severide reached across the table to take her hand. "I'm good friends with few cops. I can help you get away from him."

"I can't do that, Kelly." She shook her head. "I-I have no one else here. If I leave him, I'll have to go back to New York and-and I'm not ready to leave yet." I don't want to leave you.

"You have me, sweetheart."

"I don't know you, Kelly." Her eyes found his as she spoke quietly. "I-I've known you an entire week and-and already I'm willing to risk everything just to see you. I don't-I don't know what that means or what but...." She trailed off for a moment, biting her bottom lip as she gazed into his vibrant blue eyes. "My head is telling me to delete your number and stop talking to you. But something else is telling me to stay."

Severide understood her words. She didn't know him. He was a man being nice to her knowing she was in an abusive relationship with a dangerous man. He knew she was easily manipulated. She didn't know if he had ulterior motives behind his kindness.

"I understand." He nodded his head gently. "But please, I-I don't want you to cut me out. You need someone on your side and I am fully prepared to be that someone."

Sunny smiled ever so slightly at him. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry, Kelly. It's one of my friends. I've got to take this."

"Go ahead." Severide happily smiled at her. He took a sip of his coffee as she answered the call.

"Hey, Kate."

_"Hi, Sunny! I haven't heard from you in a few days and just wanted to check in. How are things going?"_

"Things are.... Things are better." She nodded her head. "I'm doing okay."

_"That's good to hear. Are you still doing that thing for the fire department?"_

"Yeah, I am."

_"Oh okay. I was going to see if you wanted to grab lunch."_

"I'm actually out right now with a friend." Sunny watched as a waitress came over to their table.

"What do you want, Sunny?" Severide asked her.

"I don't know." She answered honestly. "I really probably shouldn't eat anything. I've got a wedding coming up."

"That's ridicuous and I don't accept that answer." Severide told her matter-of-factly. "We'll take two house burgers, two chocolate milkshakes, and a huge plate of fries."

"Sounds good, handsome. I'll be back shortly with your food." The waitress smiled at him before she walked away.

 _"Who are you with?"_ Kate asked.

"A friend." Sunny smiled across the table at Severide. "I have to go, Kate, but I'll call you later."

_"Okay. Talk to you later, Sunny."_

Sunny tucked her phone back into her pocket. She leaned forward on to her arms on the table.

"Kelly Severide, you just ordered me hundreds and hundreds of calories worth of food."

"Yeah." He grinned proudly.

"I have a wedding dress I need to fit into in a few months." She reminded him.

"I think watching your weight is ridiculous." He shrugged his broad shoulders. "Life is too short to count calories and to worry about whether or not you look how everyone else wants you to look."

"Says you." Sunny teasingly rolled her eyes.

"What? What is that suppose to mean?" He almost laughed at her.

"You don't have any reason to watch your weight. You look amazing. I've seen you without a shirt a handful of times. I would know." She stated with a big grin plastered across her lips.

"Oh yeah. You definitely would." He nodded his head in agreement. "That sounded a little creepy if I'm a hundred percent honest."

"I know!" Sunny brought her hand up to cover her mouth as she laughed.

———

They idly chatted until their food arrived, then they fell silent as they started to dig in. Sunny picked up a few French fries from the plate in the center of the table and stuffed them into her mouth.

"Gray's going out of town for a business trip this weekend." She said. "He leaves Friday morning and doesn't get back until Monday morning."

"Oh good." Severide wiped his fingers off with a napkin. "That gives us plenty of time to go to all the museums in the city so you can rub it in my face just how uneducated I am."

"I would love that." She grinned. "You know that's what I do best."

"Rub it in people's faces about how much smarter you are than them?"

"No. Well, yeah of course, but no." She knew he was just messing with her. Their lighthearted teasing and bantering was something that she enjoyed. "Talking about art."

"Have you ever considered working at a museum?"

"I work at one on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays." She nodded her head. "I do group tours in the evenings."

"So you're a reporter and a tour guide?"

"Well the whole reporter thing is really new to me." Sunny explained. "I'm super good at taking pictures and I wanted something to keep me busy. My friend, Kate, works at the Chicago Cosmo so she managed to get me a job there. Firehouse 51 is the first job I've ever had with them and I'm super excited about it. Did I tell you they've extended my timeline?"

"No. What does that mean?"

"It means that instead of two weeks, I have an indefinite amount of time to get everything together. I showed my bosses what I've got so far and they really, really liked it so they're giving me longer to get it done." Sunny picked up her milkshake to take a sip of it.

"That's awesome, Sunny." He smiled at her. "When do I get to see what you've got so far?"

"Um, never." She laughed softly.

"Really? Why?" He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms.

"Because I-I don't want you to." She shrugged her shoulders. "You can see it when it gets published."

"Fine." Severide mockingly rolled his eyes at her.


	10. Chapter 10

Sunny moved quietly down a hallway in Fire House 51. The team had just gotten back from a particularly nasty car accident that resulted in four deaths, including that of an infant. The usually light and fun atmosphere of the firehouse had been replaced with solemn faces and silence.

She found Kelly Severide in his office. He was leaning back in his chair with his head back and his eyes on the ceiling.

"How are you doing, Kelly?"

He lifted his head up to look at her. He was silent for a few moments before answering her.

"Been better, to be honest."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." He shook his head, sighing out gently as he moved his chair from side to side. "But if you want to come in here and talk my ear off to distract me, I'm totally okay with that."

"I can do that." She nodded her head. She moved into his office to sit on the little two person sofa inside it. "Do you want me to talk about anything specific?"

"What we are going to do this weekend." He turned his chair around to face her.

"Okay." Sunny smiled at him. "Speaking of this weekend, I need to ask you for a favor."

"Oh god." Severide groaned out.

"It's not a huge one, I promise." She shifted around in her seat and crossed her knees. "I was contacted by Margaret Alderidge this morning. She emailed me saying she wants me to have a piece done by May first. I don't know where she heard of me but she's interested in putting my art in her gallery."

"That's really awesome, Sunny. I'm happy for you." Severide nodded his head gently. "But where do I come in to this?"

"I need a subject for the piece." Sunny bit her bottom lip. She waited for him to figure out what she meant but he just looked confused. "I want to draw you, Kelly."

His eyes widened and for a while, he didn't say anything. This made Sunny nervous. Maybe she had crossed a line.

"I-I don't have to. It's just that when I have inspiration things are easier and—,"

"I'd be honored, Sunny." He cut her off, his soft words melting away any doubts she had. "When you say draw.... Do you mean like Rose from the Titanic? You want to draw me like Rose from the Titanic?"

"Not naked, you dork." She rolled her eyes at him. "Just you. I've.... I've been working on a few things. Let me go get my book."

Sunny left the room. Severide watched her leave, his eyes curiously lingering where she had disappeared. She returned just a few moments later with her bag in hand. Severide moved to sit on the sofa next to her. She put the book in her lap and began to flip through the pages.

"I don't want to seem weird or stalkerish or-or anything like that." She handed the book to him. "You can keep flipping. There's a few pages of you in there."

The first drawing was a rough sketch of Severide in his firefighter coat and pants. He held his helmet in one hand. The second one was of his shoulders and up. This one had color to it. The third one was of just his eyes.

"Wow, Sunny." Severide murmured in awe. "The detail in this is.... It's unreal."

"When I can't sleep, I do this." She whispered softly.

"You draw and paint me?" A little smile tugged at his lips. She nodded her head.

"I don't want you to think I'm weird or anything, Kelly."

"This isn't weird at all, Sunny. I-I'm flattered. No one's ever done this."

Sunny's eyes weren't glued to the artwork like Severide's were. Hers were stuck to the side of his face, to his stunning profile.

"Don't look at me, Kelly." Sunny pulled out her camera from her bag and turned it on. Severide glanced over to her. "I said don't look at me."

"Sorry." He dropped his gaze back down to the book. Sunny took the opprotunity to snap a picture of him. "What was that for?"

"I don't know. I'll figure it out later." She smiled gently as she put the camera down on the sofa next to her.

"I think this is all amazing, Sunny." Severide admired what she had done. She was gifted and she chose to use that gift to draw him.

"I'm glad you like it."

She met his glance very briefly before his eyes dropped to her lips. She was just a few inches away from him. He could easily lean over and kiss her.

Someone cleared their throat. Severide looked to the door while Sunny dropped her gaze to her lap.

"What can I do for you, Dawson?" Severide stood to his feet and passed Sunny her sketch book.

"I just.... I just have to talk to you for a second about earlier." She answered, absentmindedly rubbing her arm. She could feel the tension in the air.

"I need to be going anyways. I've got to interview Herrmann for his piece in the article." Sunny gave them both a little smile as she picked up her bag and her camera and made her way for the door. Gabby stepped aside to let Sunny leave.

The paramedic turned her attention back to Severide. Her eyes widened as she looked at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Kelly?" She whispered as she stepped into the office and closed the door. "She's getting married in a couple months."

"I know." Severide rubbed his eyes and leaned back into the corner of the sofa. "She doesn't want to be with him, Gabby."

"Then you wait until she realizes that and leaves him."

Severide fell silent while he looked at her.

"Casey's been worried about you, ya know." Gabby started to leave but Severide stopped her.

"Gabby, what do you mean?"

"He won't tell me, but I'm sure it has to do with her."

—–—

Sunny sat in the kitchen at the end of a table. She was directly across from Herrmann. In front of her was a notebook and in her left hand she held a pen. Her knees were crossed, the boot that was suspended in the air lightly bounced up and down. Pieces of her hair fell out of the neat bun she had put it into. She laughed at something Herrmann had said and wrote something on the notebook in front of her.

"You good, Severide?" Casey sat down next to his best friend. Severide's attention was pulled away from Sunny. He looked over to Casey and then back down to the clipboard on the table in front of him.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm good."

"You sure? Cause Gabby just told me she almost walked in on you two doing something."

Severide sighed out, watching as Gabby came to lean against the end of the table where they were.

"We weren't going to do anything, guys."

"That's not what I saw." Gabby shook her head. "I could sense it, Severide. Sometimes you two stare at each other like blind people finally seeing for the first time."

"I know exactly what you're talking about." Kidd nodded her head as she joined the conversation. She sat down next to Severide. "It's scary. I feel like you guys are going to jump on each other."

"You guys are just delusional."

"The way you are with thinking you two are going to happily end up together?"

Severide's jaw went slack as he stared across the table at Matt Casey. He said nothing and instead, just watched Casey for a few heartbeats. Then he stood up and left the room.

"That was a little harsh." Gabby admitted.

"I don't want him getting hurt because of her. Talbot is bad news." Casey followed after Severide. "Severide. Severide!"

"I'm done talking to you, Matt." Severide shook his head. He pushed an exit to the firehouse open and stepped out into the cold afternoon air.

"Well I'm not, okay?" Casey stopped when Severide did. He made sure to keep a safe distance from Severide. "Anyone who knows you can see how head over heels you are for this woman, Kelly. But she's not yours. She's Gray Talbot's. She's marrying him and you can't change that."

"She deserves better than him." Severide whispered.

"I agree but until she realizes that, you need to take a few steps back. It's only going to hurt you even more in the end, Kelly." Casey's tone softened as he spoke.

Severide ran a hand over his face and took a deep breath. He shook his head.

"I don't care if I'm the one who ends up hurt at the end of all of this bullshit. She has no one here in Chicago, Matt! Her friends give her shit about every decision with Talbot she makes! She needs someone and I intend on being that someone."

Casey nodded his head.

"Just be careful, Severide." He turned and went back into the firehouse.

———

Gray made his way into the firehouse garage. The garage doors had been opened so it was easy for him to get in. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his black slacks. Icy blue eyes flickered from person to person. Sitting at a little table in the garage were Severide, Kidd, Cruz, Otis, and Herrmann. Severide was the first one to notice Gray. He stiffened up and rose to his feet.

"Is Sunny here?" Gray couldn't help but watch this man. He was the one Sunny had grown close to.

"She, uh, she is." Severide nodded his head. He held his hand out as he approached Gray. "Lieutenant Severide. You must be Gray. I've heard a lot about you, sir."

Severide roughly shook Gray's hand with the biggest fake smile on his lips. The firefighter stood a few inches taller than Gray and definitely more muscular. He wasn't going to let this asshole intimidate him.

"All good things, I hope." Gray awkwardly smiled.

"You're Sunny's fiancé?" Kidd raised her brows as she shamelessly looked Gray up and down.

"That I am." Gray proudly nodded her head.

"I'll go get Sunny." Severide suggested, throwing his thumb over his shoulder. "She was in interviewing the Chief last I heard."

"I'd appreciate that, thank you." Gray watched Severide leave the garage.

———

Sunny was just walking out of Chief Boden's office when Severide found her.

"Hey, Sunny. Gray's here."

"I didn't even realize it was that late." Sunny sighed out. "Thank you, Kelly." She moved to go around him when Severide stopped her.

"We're okay, right?"

She turned on her heels and held his gaze for a few heartbeats. She nodded her head softly.

"Yeah, we are."

"Good." He smiled. "Have a good night, Ms. Castle."

"You too, Lieutenant."

———

Sunny sat at the island in hers and Gray's apartment, going over the notes she had taken during Herrmann's and Boden's interviews. Gray was in his office working. A knock on the door caught her attention. She slipped down from the barstool and padded over to the door.

"Have we got some exciting news for you!" Liz sing-songed as she and Kate walked into the apartment.

"So Andrew got two tickets to a concert this weekend in Milwaukee but he can't go because he still doesn't feel the greatest from the car accident so he's giving us the tickets and he was able to talk his boss into throwing in a third ticket so we all can go!" Kate squealed out of excitement. "All we have to do is split a room."

"This weekend?" Sunny asked.

"Yes."

"I-I can't do this weekend." She softly shook her head with a frown. "I've got plans."

"You do?" Gray emerged from the hallway. All three women turned their attention to him. "Hello, ladies."

"Hi, Gray."

"What kind of plans?" He moved to stand beside Sunny.

"I wanted to go to a few of the museums around town and maybe do my project for Margaret Alderidge."

"By yourself?" Gray frowned, slipping an arm around her waist. "Why don't you just go with the girls? Spend the weekend out of town, have fun and forget about work. You deserve it."

"I really would rather go to the museums, Gray." Sunny murmured quietly. His blue eyes darkened as his grip on her waist tightened.

"It's really not a big deal, Sunny." Kate said. She took note of Sunny's sudden look of fear. "We can stay here and go with you."

"I wouldn't want you girls to do that—,"

"I think that's an amazing idea." Gray cut Sunny off. "I don't like the idea of you staying home alone." He leaned down to kiss her cheek. "What if something happened?"

Gray's phone rang in his pocket.

"I'm sorry, ladies. I've got to take this." He flashed them all with a dazzling smile before going back to his office.

"I really don't want to keep you guys from that concert." Sunny shook her head.

"That's okay, sweetie. We don't mind." Kate assured her with a little smile. "We can go shopping and watch movies and finally catch up. I feel like we haven't had time to ourselves lately."

"Okay." Sunny did her best to look happy about the situation even though she had already made plans with the blue eyed firefighter.


	11. Chapter 11

_ Two Days Later _   
_Wednesday_

Severide sat on a bench between the two rows of lockers. He wore only a pair of black cargo pants and his work boots. He was hunched over with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together. His eyes were focused intently on his hands.

Sunny watched the way his muscles seemed to ripple underneath his tanned skin when he breathed. He was tense. Something was on his mind.

She took her bottom lip between her teeth before moving to sit next to him. He glanced over to her to briefly meet her soft gaze. It lasted maybe a second before he looked back down to his hands.

"Did I do something to upset you?" Her voice was quiet and gentle.

"No." His answer was flat and devoid of any emotion.

"You've been ignoring me for the last two days."

"I know."

Something inside Sunny's chest stung. He had been intentionally ignoring her. She had hoped he was just too busy for her.

"Why?" She breathed out.

He shook his head softly, curling his fingers into tight fists. He was silent for a while and Sunny was okay with that. She wasn't sure she was ready to hear his answer. He took a steady deep breath and exhaled before answering her.

"You said the other day that you do best when you have inspiration." He rubbed the back of his hand absentmindedly. "What does that mean?"

Sunny's lips parted but no sound came out. She gazed at him with wide brown eyes full of so many emotions. His eyes flickered up to meet hers.

"You inspire me, Kelly Severide." She whispered gently. "I-I look into your eyes and I see possibilities. I see hope and happiness and-and relief from every-everything. You make me want to be a better person for _me_."

Severide held her gaze, a soft smile tugging at his lips. He put his hand on hers, which was trembling on her knee. His smile slowly faded as he looked down at their hands. He needed to be truthful with her and with himself.

"Sunny, I want to be honest with you." He took his hand off of hers. "I'm not good with relationships that are more than friends, and half the time I can't even keep female friends."

Sunny nodded her head gently.

"The more you hang out with me and around here, Sunny, the more you're going to hear about it. I have a long list of one night stands and flings and-and I don't.... Sunny, I don't want you on that list. I don't want to do that to you. I'm not the saint you think I am."

She dropped her eyes down to her hands. Her fingertips traced a scar along the back of her hand.

"And you think I am?"

Severide said nothing. Sunny shifted around on the bench and leaned against his shoulder.

"We have a lot more in common than you think, Kelly Severide. Any of my friends from New York would die from shock to hear that I'm getting married in just a few months. I.... I never could hold a steady relationship with anyone. I _liked_ having a different guy every night. I _liked_ being that slutty girl in college. Short skirts and shorts, skin tight jeans, low cut tops.... I was a real piece of work back then." Sunny hummed thoughtfully. "That's Daisy Castle. The girl you know never existed two years ago."

"I like the girl I know." Severide smiled a little. "She's unbelievably smart and talented, and she's got a really good smile and the most beautiful voice I've ever heard." Her cheeks flushed a soft pink. "She's also a _huge_ dork."

She let out a laugh as she playfully pushed him away from her.

"I'm not a dork!"

"No, you really are." Severide chuckled. "I don't know anyone who can spit out random ass facts about art like you can. It's super dorky, but I love it."

Sunny covered her hand with her mouth while she laughed. She leaned against his shoulder. The musical laughter warmed Severide's entirety.

———

Sunny hummed along to the music in her earbuds as she dipped the tip of a paintbrush into the blue paint. She moved softly from side to side with the music, letting the rhythm guide her. She was dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans with rips in the knees and paint smudges everywhere. The black tank top she wore was a little less messy but still had paint here and there.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Gray standing in the doorway to her studio. She turned her head to him, unsure of how long he had been there. His arms were crossed and his eyes were focused on her. She pulled out one of her earbuds and gave him a little smile.

"What?"

"I forget so easily how beautiful you are." His words were soft and gentle. "I just got off the phone with mom. She wants to know when you wanted to go look for a dress for the wedding."

Sunny put the paint brush down and paused her music. She sat down on the stool in front of the easel she was working on. She hadn't thought about a wedding dress in a long time. She wasn't a part of the creation process of the wedding. Gray's mother and sister had taken that over the second they heard the news.

"I was kind of thinking about going and maybe just having a peak at some dresses this weekend with the girls. Maybe early in the day Saturday."

"What kind are you thinking?" Gray moved a second stool in the room closer to Sunny.

"I want something simple but elegant." Sunny answered him, the smile on her lips growing as she watched him. "We're getting married."

"We are." He affirmed, nodding his head as a smile of his own found its way to his features. "You're going to make an amazing Mrs. Gray Talbot." He leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

"You think so?" Sunny murmured softly.

"I do." He closed his eyes for a moment and rested his forehead against hers. "Let's go out for the night. We can go to the Rooftop and have some drinks and maybe dance and have a good time. I can even call Andrew and see if he and Kate want to go. And maybe Deonte and Liz want to tag along. I feel like we haven't hung out with them in a while. You can put on that pretty red dress I bought a while back."

Sunny nodded her head as she opened her eyes. She took her bottom lip between her teeth, a happy smile breaking out across her lips.

"I'd love that, Gray."

"Good." He pressed a delicate kiss to her lips. "Go get ready. I'll call them."

"Okay." Sunny slipped off of the barstool and practically skipped out of the room. This was _her_ Gray. He was sweet and gentle and loving. He wanted her happy. She stopped in the doorway and turned back to him. "Hey, Gray?"

"Yes, love?"

"Thank you."

"Anything for you, my love."

———

Sunny sat at a table with Kate, Andrew, Liz, and Liz's new and probably temporary boyfriend, Cooper. Gray had left a while ago to take a call. He had to have been gone for more than a half an hour.

Sunny's phone buzzed from its place underneath her thigh. She pulled it out to read the caller I.D., but it was an unknown number.

"I'm sorry, guys." She apologized as she answered the call. "Hello?"

_"Sunny Castle?"_

"Yes. Who is this?"

_"It's Matt Casey from Firehouse 51. Um, I'm really sorry to bother you but Severide was suppose to meet up with me for drinks an hour ago and he isn't answering his phone. Have you talked to him recently?"_

"No, I haven't." Sunny shook her head, furrowing her eyebrows together. "Do you think something is wrong?"

 _"I don't know."_ There was a pause before Casey sighed out. _"If you're able to, could you reach out to him? Maybe see if he answers you?"_

"Yeah. I'll call him and let you know if he answers."

_"Thanks, Sunny."_

"No problem, Casey." Sunny ended the call.

"Is everything okay?" Kate asked her.

"I don't know." Sunny bit her lip as she searched her contacts for Severide's number. She looked up from her phone to see Andrew and Cooper had left the table to go to the bar, leaving Kate, Liz, and Sunny alone. "I need you guys to not say anything to anyone about me calling Kelly."

"Kelly?" Liz repeated with raised eyebrows.

"The firefighter?" Kate's eyes widened. Sunny nodded her head. She put her index finger up to signal the girls to be quiet while she called Severide. It rung and rung but he never answered. Sunny decided to text him.

**To: Kelly S**   
**< "Hey Kelly. Casey just called me and I think he's a little worried about you. You aren't answering you phone. Is everything okay?">**

"Oh! He's the super hot guy from the hospital you were eye fucking." Liz grinned with the tip of her straw between her lips.

"Was not." Sunny muttered. She glanced back down at her phone to see he had read the message but didn't say anything.

**To: Kelly S**   
**< "Okay I saw that you read this. If you don't want to talk to me that's totally okay. I just want to make sure you're fine. You should probably text Casey to let him know that you're okay too.">**

"What's he saying?" Kate leaned across the table to see what was going on, on Sunny's phone.

"Nothing. He left me on read." Sunny sighed out. She raked her fingers through her hair. She flipped her phone over and took a sip of her drink. "I have something I need to tell you guys, but it can't leave this table."

"I like secrets." Liz scooted closer to Kate so they both could sit directly across from Sunny.

"I need you guys to kind of lie for me this weekend." Sunny winced at her own words.

"Why?" Kate asked.

"Because.... Gray's going out of town and I.... I plan on hanging out with Kelly." Sunny bit her bottom lip.

"Oh my god." Liz put her hand over her mouth. Kate put her hand overtop of Liz's to ensure the blonde wouldn't say something. She had a bad habit of being blunt.

"What do you mean hanging out?"

"We're going to go to a few museums and.... and I think he's going to let me use him as a subject for my piece for Margaret Alderidge."

Liz pulled Kate's hand away from her mouth.

"Oh my god!"

"Before any of you say anything, I know what I'm doing is stupid but I don't care." Sunny shook her head with a smile. "I really don't."

"Is he the reason you've been glowing recently?" Kate put her hand on Sunny's arm.

"Good dick does that to a woman, Kate." Liz told her as she threw her head back to finish off her drink.

"You're so classy, Liz." Kate rolled her eyes.

"I haven't slept with him, Liz." Sunny shook her head. "He just.... He makes me feel like me again."

"That's so good, honey."

Sunny's phone buzzed on the tabletop. She turned it over to see Severide had texted her.

**From: Kelly S**   
**< "I'm okay. Your fiancé is a dick.">**

Sunny furrowed her eyebrows together as she reread the message a few times. She picked up her phone and called him.

"I'll be back in a minute, guys." She slipped out of her seat and made her way towards the bathroom.

 _"Yeah?"_ His voice was a bit raspy and seemed distant.

"Kelly? Are you okay?"

"M _'fine. Um, listen, Sunny. I don't know what he'll tell you but next time you see him, you might notice Talbot's got a cast on his hand and a busted nose. Yes, I did break his hand and maybe his nose but he threw the first punch."_

"Oh my god, Kelly." Sunny put her hand over her racing heart. "Are you okay?"

_"Yeah, I'm great. I feel pretty damn good. He got me a few times but I'll be fine."_

"Where are you?"

———

Sunny found Severide in his office. He was working on something on his desk. There was a butterfly bandage across a cut above his left brow. The inside corner of his eyes were slightly bruised.

"Oh my god, Kelly." Sunny put her bag down on the little sofa in his office. She put her hand on either side of his face and tilted his head up so that she could inspect him. "What the hell did you do?"

"Have you seen him?" Severide chuckled a little. "I look a whole hell of a lot better."

"That doesn't matter." Sunny's eyebrows were drawn together as she looked down to his hands. His right knuckles were busted. "He's dangerous, Kelly. You can't do that."

"He walked in here saying shit about how you weren't worth the trouble I was going to get in for talking to you. He started calling you names and I.... I had some trouble not knocking his lights out right then and there. He caught me in my nose and I saw red." Severide softly shrugged his broad shoulders. Sunny's hands left his face, her eyes hesitantly finding his.

"How did he find out you were talking to me?"

"I don't know but I don't think he had a lot evidence or anything. Just a hunch." Severide paused for a moment. "Sunny, stay with me for the night."

"Kelly—,"

"He's going to hurt you, Sunny."

"If I don't go home to him, Kelly, he's definitely going to know we've been hanging out." She shook her head. "I just have two more days and then I don't have to worry about him for the weekend. I'll be okay."

Severide said nothing. He held her hand firmly in his own. Sunny's phone buzzed in her bag.

"That's probably him." She sighed gently as she went to retrieve the device. Gray was calling her. "Hi, baby." As she answered the call, she moved to lean against Severide's desk.

_"Where are you?"_

"I got a call from my editor. She needed to speak with me about one of the articles I've been working on." She bit her bottom lip. Severide was watching her carefully. His eyes were hard to read but the sadness in them was evident.

_"At nine o'clock at night?"_

"She's didn't get to open my email until an hour ago. I'm headed back to the bar—,"

_"No, don't do that. Come home. I'm tired."_

"Okay. I'll see you in a little bit, baby." Sunny ended the call. She gave Severide a little smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kelly."

She started to move away from him when he grabbed her hand to stop her. He stood up from his seat so he was taller than her.

"Text me if you need anything." He murmured gently. "Promise?"

"I promise." She lightly nodded her head. "Good night, Lieutenant."

"Ms. Castle." He nodded his head once to her and watched her leave his office. He sat back down in his chair and ran a hand over his face. It was going to be a long night.


	12. Chapter 12

_ Friday _

Sunny turned around to get a better look at herself. She wanted to see how the outfit she wore really looked on her. A dark red turtle neck adorned her torso. It was tucked into a pair of black high waisted skinny jeans. Her dirty blonde hair was tied back into a messy bun with a few pieces falling around her face.

_"You're such a narcissist."_

"Shut up." Sunny muttered. She was Facetiming Severide, waiting for him to finish his shift so they could go out for an early dinner.

_"How many times do you have to look at yourself in the mirror?"'_

"A lot." Sunny leaned over the counter to double check her makeup. She knew he was just teasing her and she was okay with that. She liked the teasing tone that laced his sweet voice. "I don't know how this looks."

_"Well I think you look great. You don't need to keep checking yourself out. I can do that for you."_

_"Hey, Severide? Can I get you out in the garage for a minute?"_ Chief Boden asked from somewhere in the background.

_"Sure thing, Chief. I'll be right out."_

"I hope you're in trouble."

Severide mockingly gasped.

_"You take that back."_

Sunny laughed softly.

_"I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."_

"Can't really go anywhere until you're done there." She reminded him as she glanced over to the screen of her phone. The device was propped up against her makeup bag so Severide could see her while she did her makeup.

 _"Attitude."_ Severide shook his head and clicked his tongue. He tried to fake disapproval but the grin on his lips was ruining it. _"Be right back."_

Sunny hummed in response. She left the bathroom for a minute to retrieve the combat boots she'd be wearing. She slipped the boots on and tied them before returning to the bathroom. Sunny picked up the tube of red lipstick she had put on earlier to reapply it. Gray appeared in the mirror behind her. She jumped and spun around to face him, her hand coming up to rest above her heart.

"Gray! You scared me." Her heart was pounding furiously against her palm. Had he heard her talking to Kelly Severide?

"Where are you going?" Gray asked her quietly.

"Out for a little bit. I thought you were suppose to be in Nevada."

"Flight got pushed back. I leave here in about an hour."

"Where've you been all day?" Sunny leaned against the counter, nervously biting her bottom lip. She felt nauseous.

"Out with some friends." Gray's eyes raked over her outfit once more. "Where were you planning on going dressed like that?"

"I-I thought I told you that I wanted to go to a few art galleries around town. I want to find some sort of inspiration and maybe see if I can find something to draw fo—,"

"There's no need to go dressed like that. You look like a whore."

Sunny's lips parted but she said nothing. She looked down to her outfit. Her heart fell to her stomach and all of the courage that had been bubbling inside fizzled away. She had been excited about her outfit and she felt comfortable in it. But now, she wanted to change into something less formfitting.

"Knock, knock!" Liz sing-songed as she and Kate entered the apartment. "Where are you at, babe?"

"In the bathroom, guys." Sunny answered, her voice soft and hesitant. A few moments later, Kate and Liz appeared behind Gray.

"Hey, Gray." Kate greeted him. "I thought you were going out of town?"

"My flight got delayed." He sighed out with that charming smile on his lips. "What are you ladies doing here?"

"Well we were hoping to steal Sunny." Liz moved into the bathroom to sit on the side of the large bathtub. "I want to spend money."

"That's a wonderful idea, Sunny." Gray suggested to her. Sunny met his gaze. She was tempted to object, but there was a threatening darkness in his eyes. "You could use some new clothes for our honeymoon."

"Yeah, you.... you're right." She nodded her head with a weak smile.

"Here." Gray pulled out his wallet and took out one of his many credit cards.

"Oh, Gray." Sunny shook her head as he handed it to her. "I really don't think—,"

"I want you to." He cut her off. "Enjoy your weekend." He placed a kiss on her forehead before taking a few steps back. "I'll call you later on tonight when I land, okay?"

"Okay." Sunny nodded, gripping the card tightly in her hand.

"I love you."

"I love you too." She watched him disappear down the hallway. Liz and Kate noticed Sunny's odd behavior, so they remained quiet until they heard to door shut.

"Are you okay, Sunny?" Kate asked.

"I'm fine." She stiffly nodded her head. She picked up her phone to see that Severide had ended the video call but he sent her a message.

**From: Kelly S**   
**< "Call me when he leaves.">**

"Who are you calling?" Liz watched as Sunny put her phone to her ear. Sunny shook her head in reply.

_"Hey, Sunny."_

"Kelly." She smiled gently at the sound of his voice.

_"I heard what he called you and I.... I didn't want to do anything to make him mad. I was about to jump through the phone and beat his ass again."_

"You don't have to do that, Kelly. I'm fine." Sunny pulled her phone away from her ear for a moment. "I need to talk to him for a minute, girls."

"Okay." Kate nodded her head. "We'll be out in the kitchen." Sunny waited for them to leave before she pushed the door to the bathroom shut.

"Kelly, they want me to go shopping with them."

_"Then go. It's no big deal. We can hang out later."_

"But we already made plans." Sunny sat down on the closed toilet lid.

_"It's okay, Sunny. I promise. They're your friends."_

"Hey, Sunny!" Liz knocked on the bathroom door. "Tell your hot firefighter boyfriend that he should come shopping with us! I need a man's opinion!"

 _"Hot firefighter boyfriend."_ Severide repeated, his tone full of amusement.

"I doubt he wants to come with us to go shopping, Liz."

_"I wouldn't mind."_

Sunny's eyes widened at his words.

"You wouldn't?"

_"No, not at all. I've got no other plans."_

———

"Hey, uh, Severide?" Herrmann called down the hallway from the kitchen to Severide's office. "I think there's a couple ladies out in the parking lot trying to key your car!"

Severide was out of his office in the blink of an eye. He moved to get a good look out of one of the few windows that looked out into the parking lot behind the firehouse. Sunny and her two friends were waiting by his car.

"Are you in trouble?" Casey asked as he passed Severide.

"No." Severide grinned. "I get to go shopping with Sunny and a couple of her friends."

"You're going to lose so much money." Casey laughed. Severide followed his friend and co-worker to his office.

"This trip is being funded via Talbot's credit card." Severide leaned against the door to Casey's office. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

"For going shopping with three women? Yes—,"

"No, man. Not that." Severide shook his head. He moved into Casey's office, closing the door behind himself. "For talking to Sunny."

Casey was silent for a few moments. He let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand over his face.

"The last time I saw you this wound up in a girl.... it was Anna."

Severide stiffened up at the mentioning of Anna. His eyes dropped to the tiled floor. His knees felt weak at the sudden reminder of the woman he had lost only a few months ago. He took a seat in an empty chair in Casey's office.

"I think that if Sunny makes you feel like what Anna did.... then Kelly, I don't think what you're doing is crazy." Casey softly shook his head. Severide leaned back in the chair and rubbed his jaw. "Does she make you feel like Anna did?"

"No." Severide shook his head. He cleared his throat and crossed his arms. "It's different but.... but still good."

Casey smiled at his friend.

"You know, I think I've seen you more alive in the last week and a half than I have in a while. You look like you're getting yourself back. I think Sunny's good for you."

"You think?" Severide glanced up to him, doubt filling his voice. Casey nodded his head. Severide's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and a little smile tugged at his lips.

"Is that her?" Casey asked.

"Yeah." Severide nodded his head. He pushed himself to his feet and headed for the door. "Wish me luck."

"You're going to need it!" Casey laughed as he shook his head. Kelly Severide was the only man who would happily go shopping with not one but three women.

———

Sunny glanced over her shoulder to look to Severide. He had been walking behind the trio of girls with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his C.F.D. jacket. He had been uncharacteristically quiet since they left the firehouse a little less than an hour ago. Sunny slowed down to walk next to him. She lightly bumped her shoulder against his.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You just seem a little off." She shrugged her shoulders softly. "If you don't want to be here, Kelly, it's really not a big deal—,"

"It's not that, Sunny." He cut her off quickly to stop her doubts. "I'm having a great time. Your friends are.... quite the characters."

Liz had shamelessly complimented Severide's ass and overall looks many times in the short amount of time they'd been together, and Kate practically encouraged her.

"I just.... just had a little bit of a tough day." Severide nodded his head gently.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Sunny glanced over to him.

"Later." He answered quietly. "Right now, I want you to spend as much money of Talbot's as you can."

"That's not a difficult task."

"Oh my god!" Liz gasped, clapping her hands together excitedly. "I know where we need to go! I need new lingerie!"

"I could use some too." Kate agreed. Both women looked back to Sunny and Severide.

"I don't think Kelly wants to—,"

"Don't discourage them, Sunny." Severide cut her off, a troublesome grin finding a way to his lips.

Sunny found herself being pulled into the nearest lingerie store by her friends. She wasn't one to shy away from going into a lingerie store, but Kelly was with her and he had already proven he didn't mind flirting with her.

He kept his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he trailed behind Sunny, who followed Liz and Kate. His eyes only sometimes curiously looked around the bins containing panties and the racks of bras, but most of the time he watched Sunny. He liked the way her eyes seemed to light up when she saw something she liked. She'd pick the article up to examine it further and upon realizing they were crotchless panties or a g-string, she'd crinkle her nose up and put the item back where it came from.

"Tell me, Mr. Firefighter." Liz picked up a small piece of cloth that appeared to be a lime green thong. She stretched out the waistband with her index fingers and flung the material at him. "Are you a lace or satin man?"

"Lace hands down." He answered, dodging the article of clothing. His response earned a wide eyed glance from Sunny. He grinned at her and almost said something dirty but he bit his tongue.

"Damn, Sunny. I want one." Liz groaned out rather dramatically.

"One what?" Sunny laughed softly.

"Him!" She whispered loudly even though Severide could hear her. "I'm so jealous."

Sunny tried to hide the prideful smirk that crossed her lips. Liz, a gorgeous blonde who could easily get any man she wanted, was jealous of Sunny.

As Kate and Liz took a few pieces of undergarments to the fitting rooms, Sunny continued to look around the store.

"That would look really good on you." Severide's hot breath hit her neck, causing goosebumps to rise on Sunny's skin. She could feel him standing closely behind her. He nodded in the direction of a black lacy bra and panty set. Both were practically see through with little designs here and there. "What kind of shit does your fiancé like?"

"He doesn't like seeing me in anything like that." Sunny answered quietly before moving away from Severide. He furrowed his brows together as he watched her cross the room.

"What? What does that mean?" Severide followed after her. "Sunny?"

"I need to lose a little extra weight before I wear anything like that in front of him, okay?" She whispered to him without meeting his gaze. "I'm-I'm too big for any of this."

She turned to walk away from him again but he wasn't having it. He grabbed her hand and made her turn to face him.

"Is that what he tells you? That you're too big?" Severide furrowed his brows together as he looked down at her. She avoided his gaze like the plague. "Sunny, you are perfect."

"No, I'm not." She shook her head firmly. Tears of anger and pain blurred her vision. She was angry that she had given Gray the power to make her feel so negatively about her body and it hurt her that this man in front of her was trying to make her feel better about her shitty fiancé.

"Yes, you are. Sunny, look at me." Severide cupped her jaw and tilted her face up so she had no choice but to look at him. "You've got the most beautiful smile and an amazing laugh, and if I'm being honest, you have a great body."

"You're just saying that." She shook her head and pushed his hand away.

"No I'm not, Sunny. I promise." Severide was furious that she felt the need to lose wait because of a low life like Gray Talbot. "Sunny, you're easily one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen in my life, inside and out."

Before Sunny could say anything back, Liz was shouting for her from the fitting room.

"Sunny! I need you! There's too many straps!"

"Excuse me." She murmured to Severide before moving away from him and towards the fitting room.


End file.
